Although he has yet to suit up in a single game for the Utah Jazz, rookie Donovan Mitchell has already given fans plenty of reasons to love him.
In the recent 2017 NBA draft, the Utah Jazz made one of the biggest splashes on what was a relatively quiet night trade-wise, by trading Trey Lyles and their 24th overall draft pick to the Denver Nuggets in order to move up and select Donovan Mitchell out of Louisville. For the most part, early reaction to the move has been positive, but of course only time will tell whether or not it ends up being a winner.
Plenty of early signs seem to indicate, though, that the Mitchell acquisition was a wise one. First and foremost, the fact that general manager Dennis Lindsey himself was so high on him and willing to trade up to acquire him speaks volumes. Of course, Lindsey is admittedly far from a perfect predictor of talent – the trade to acquire Trey Burke is evidence of that – but his track record is still far better than most.
And beyond that, even in his short time as a Jazzman, Mitchell has already given fans plenty of reason to be thrilled about having the young combo guard in their ranks – both basketball-related and otherwise. Since being drafted, the following are four major reasons why Jazz fans should already love their recently acquired lottery pick.