There are a ton of NBA players that the households know. The players that can light you up for 50 on any given night like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant. Guys who are going to knock down threes every night like Stephen Curry or Jayson Tatum. Guys that when they even came out of the draft, the vast majority of fans, scouts and teams all had very high expectations for them.
But we’re going to take a look at who, in 2022, is one of the most underrated stars in the game today. The guy who is putting up 30ppg, 4rpg, and 5apg on a nightly basis for his team and he doesn’t get nearly enough media attention or recognition. He was drafted 13th in 2017.
Donovan Mitchell is the odds on guy.
In the 2020 regular season there were several dominant teams but not many that were more lethal than Utah and Donovan Mitchell, when they were putting up 116ppg. Utah was a team that was mentioned but not even close to as much as the Los Angeles Clippers or the Phoenix Suns during that time. Was it because Utah is a small market or lack of faith in the team…who knows, but Mitchell was still not mentioned nearly enough for what he brought on the court.
Now, 2 years later, he’s playing for Cleveland and, as of now, leading them to a 20-11 record and a 3rd place in the East. Mitchell is an unbelievably smooth scorer and his efficiency given the number of difficult shots he takes is very rare. Nobody talks about Mitchell when they talk about smooth players, but his game is smooth as ice. He is very underrated, and has been lighting up scoreboards efficiently and taking over games for a while now. The 6-1 SG is a walking bucket, with 3 straight seasons scoring 25ppg or more.
Mitchell has shown how talented he is for 6 years, with the ability to go on big time scoring streaks and is one of the best catch-and-shoot players in the NBA. When he scored 34.2 ppg from 12.6.2022 to 12.17.2022 was a period when he showed how dangerous he could be. The 26 year old SG has always been known as a good mid-range guy, hitting 48% from 3-16 feet. But he is making a legit effort of taking even more from behind the arc this season. He is putting up 9.3 attempts from downtown while draining almost half of them, hitting a deadly 42% this year, putting him ahead of players like Luka Doncic and Klay Thompson, both of whom are mentioned and admonished quite frequently. His mid-range game is awesome and he’s one of the best shot-makers in the world, his shot from 15′ is superb and he’s always a go-to option in clutch situations.
He is one of the NBA’s better players playing today, and has averaged over 26 points per game for the past 3 seasons, but has never had an all NBA selection in his career. Mitchell is an incredible shooter who has buried 38% percent of his 3Ps over the last 3 seasons. He came through in clutch moments for the Cavs several times, and always was a closer for Utah as well. If you love the game on the court, you have to appreciate Donovan Mitchell’s game. Mitchell has hardly any offensive weakness, being able to stick it off a catch and shoot and take defenders off the dribble…a team playing against him better know where he is at all times, otherwise he’s going to drop a quick 30 by the 3rd quarter and you’re going to ask yourself what just happened.
10StarPicks Expert Sports Blog 