Hold your horses, Utah fans. If anything, this rating should be seen as a compliment, rather than an insult. Even after a down year, Donovan Mitchell‘s floor is still clearly a top ten shooting guard in the league. However, when he’s at his best? You could make an argument he deserves to be in the top half of this list.
The one thing Mitchell seemed to be missing last year was a competent backcourt partner that can alleviate the burden on his shoulders on the offensive end. Utah found the answer to that equation in Mike Conley, a proven veteran who should have no problem integrating seamlessly next to Mitchell.
Well… at least that’s the game plan. It remains to be seen if that is actually what will happen. Over the course of his career, Conley has only had two consistent backcourt running mates — O.J. Mayo and Tony Allen. The former severely limiting Conley’s impact on the court, while the latter deferred to him on the offensive end. Similarly, Mitchell has never collaborated with a player like Conley.
It remains to be seen if this pairing can actually succeed in a mutually beneficial fashion on the court. Even if they can, it might be a rocky ride at first.
We’ve seen plenty of one-hit-wonder rookie guards before. That’s not to imply a player like Michael Carter-Williams is in any way comparable to Mitchell from a talent standpoint, but there is a non-zero chance he regresses and never again shines a light as bright as before. The eye-test and his advanced statistics both agree Mitchell has a lot to improve upon before solidifying himself in this conversation.