Eric Bledsoe
Let’s play a game. I’m going to share a quote that was given after a college game against this player, and you tell me if it was said about Eric Bledsoe, or Donovan Mitchell.
"Player A is a tremendous athlete…he does have an extreme amount of talent. I love his intensity for the game…While sometimes he can let his emotions get the best of him, his passion goes unmatched and it showed against us. A few plays he just wanted it more than us."
What do you think? Was that said about Eric Bledsoe or Donovan Mitchell?
That was written by Landry Fields, via DraftExpress, about Eric Bledsoe. It could go either way though, right? Nobody questioned his motor and desire to play defense, but when Bledsoe came out of the draft in 2010, a lot of questions revolved around his decision-making, and which position he would play. He had largely played off-ball during college, but because of his height, he projected more as a point guard.
Since entering the league though, he shown that he can effectively play either position.
During his time with Louisville, Mitchell largely played off-ball. Over the second half of his sophomore season, though, he took over the point guard position due to an injury, and played even better. In part, this is when his draft stock started shooting up, but the sample size is small.
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With that in mind, they were both drafted into perfect situations to learn the position. When Eric Bledsoe was drafted, he was not a true point guard, but played behind Chris Paul. Which allowed him to learn the ropes from one of the greatest.
With the Utah Jazz, Mitchell is going to be able to learn the point guard ropes from one of the purest point guards in the league, Ricky Rubio.
Physically, they are both specimens, who look like they were built to play football rather than basketball. Bledsoe is only 6-foot-1, but he has a 6-foot-8 wingspan, and weighs 200 pounds. Mitchell has a 6-foot-10 wingspan and is listed at 210 pounds. So he should be able to out-muscle players his height, while also being able to hold his own against taller players.
Donovan Mitchell says he "didn't even really notice" his abnormal wingspan until the combine. Has just begun trying to utilize it.
— Ben Dowsett (@Ben_Dowsett) July 7, 2017
Over the last two seasons, Bledsoe has averaged 20 points, six assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. He is an underrated player in the NBA, and if Mitchell can match that type of production, it would be a win for the Jazz.