What’s Next for Donovan Mitchell?
Another first-round exit.
That’s how the 2022 playoffs ended for Donovan Mitchell and the rest of the Utah Jazz.
The Jazz faced off against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Despite missing All-NBA guard Luka Doncic for the first half of the series, the Mavs made short work of Utah, ousting them in 6 games.
Making matters worse, Donovan Mitchell scored only nine points in the Jazz’s 102-77 blowout Game Five loss. By contrast, Luka Doncic finished with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists.
After another disappointing playoff performance, the Jazz now have more questions than answers in terms of their future this offseason.
Uncertain Future
Donovan Mitchell just completed the second season of his current $163 million contract.
Assuming that the team pulls the trigger and puts Mitchell on the trading block, that means asking another team to take care of Mitchell and his hefty price tag. Mitchell is still a formidable offensive weapon, but he hasn’t led the Jazz beyond the second round of the playoffs as Utah made early exits in the first round in three of the past four seasons.
While many believed that Mitchell and Rudy Gobert could form the foundation of a championship team in Utah, some are now doubting whether keeping the duo together is a wise decision. A group that now reportedly includes Gobert himself:
Gobert is a monster on defense, and Mitchell is one of the better offensive players in the game. However, Gobert is not a dominant player offensively, while Mitchell showed flashes of inconsistency in his own end, especially in clutch situations.
During the 2022 playoffs, Mitchell averaged 25.5 points, 5.7 assists, 4.3 assists but shot an ugly 20.8% from the three-point line- a career playoff-low. Meanwhile, Gobert averaged 12 points, 13 rebounds and made 63% of his field goal attempts.
Between Mitchell and Gobert, Gobert’s defensive prowess weighs heavier than Mitchell’s scoring ability. Remove the three-time Defensive Player of the Year from the picture, and Utah might not be in the playoffs in the first place. Then again, Mitchell is still in his prime and given the right supporting cast, he could potentially lead Utah to even loftier heights.
Trade or Hold?
If we’re to believe the rumours, Gobert has begun playing the “me or him” game against Mitchell. Whether or not this is true, there’s a high degree of belief from observers that Mitchell and Gobert may have played their final game as teammates.
On the surface, trading a talented offensive player in Donovan Mitchell seems illogical, especially since, at one point or another, many Jazz fans have hailed Gobert/Mitchell as the best one-two tandem in Utah since Karl Malone and John Stockton. However, it’s equally as fruitless for a team to keep a duo together if the partnership isn’t successful.
Choosing between Mitchell and Gobert isn’t easy. However, putting Mitchell on the trading block might help both sides. There would be no shortage of suitors for the former Louisville guard’s services, especially from struggling teams who have been looking for an offensive spark plug.
Should Utah keep the Mitchell-Gobert tandem together, it’s imperative they get the proper supporting cast around them that has been missing in the past few playoff runs. Bringing in some high level perimeter defenders to mask some of Mitchell’s defensive inefficiencies, and somehow trying to move Mike Conley’s $24.3M contract would help, but would likely be challenging at best.
   Utah will need to take a long hard look in the mirror this summer, and take stock of what direction the franchise is heading in. Whether they choose to tear it down, or re-tool on the fly could shape the future of the club not just for next year, but for the next several seasons as well. Either way, it’s going to be an interesting offseason for Utah.
-Iggy Gonzales
Twitter: @godzilla500
Photo: Dperfect. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.