Utah Jazz: J-Notes Staff Bold Predictions for the 2017-18 Season

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 4: Alec Burks #10 of the Utah Jazz brings the ball up court against the Maccabi Haifa in preseason action at Vivint Smart Home Arena on October 4, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 4: Alec Burks #10 of the Utah Jazz brings the ball up court against the Maccabi Haifa in preseason action at Vivint Smart Home Arena on October 4, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
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Utah Jazz Donovan Mitchell
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – OCTOBER 2: Donovan Mitchell (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)

Donovan Mitchell will start by season’s end

“When Donovan Mitchell put up 20 points and more than four steals per game during summer league play, the Utah Jazz knew they had a player. His performance in four preseason games only served to heighten expectations of the No. 13 overall pick.

Per 36 minutes, he averaged nearly 23 points, four rebounds, and 1.1 steals during Utah’s undefeated exhibition run. We may need to pump the breaks a little on expecting him to duplicate those numbers during the regular season, however, Mitchell will undoubtedly make it hard for Jazz coach Quin Snyder to keep him off the floor.

Between that and some of the uncertainty surrounding Joe Ingles in an expanded role, I expect Mitchell will have a shot at cracking the first five by season’s end”

– Ryan Aston (@RoundballRuckus)