Utah Jazz: Charles Barkley calls Donovan Mitchell best rookie

Charles Barkley recently joined the ranks of the many national media members who are praising Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell.

Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that TNT’s Charles Barkley is an entertaining watch that always is quick to give a controversial opinion or two. And regardless of your overall opinion of his takes, he sure won over some Utah Jazz fans last night by laying some high praise on rookie Donovan Mitchell.

To be exact, Barkley stated that Mitchell “has been the best rookie in the NBA this year.”

Now, it should be noted that there are many NBA fans and experts alike that would beg to differ. Several have the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons pegged ahead of Donovan Mitchell in spite of how well the Jazz rookie has played this year. Although Mitchell leads all rookies in scoring, Ben Simmons stuffs the stat sheet every night and affects the game in so many ways, so he most certainly has a case as the league’s top rookie.

Some like to think that the likes of Jayson Tatum, De’Aaron Fox or Lauri Markkanen belong in the conversation, but it’s become pretty widely accepted that barring a major surge or major collapse, the Rookie of the Year Award has become a two-man race between Mitchell and Simmons.

And so although Barkley’s opinions and predictions aren’t always accurate or reliable, it’s still pretty epic for such a big name to show such faith and confidence in the young Jazzman. The Jazz are typically overlooked by national media and in award conversations, so to see this shift represented by Barkley’s statement is pretty awesome.

That’s especially true considering that Barkley’s sentiment isn’t just an anomaly, it’s pretty widely accepted. Donovan turning heads is becoming much more of a normality.

Yesterday, I brought up several ways in which the rookie sensation has been making headlines and he continued to receive further praise today. CBS Sports placed him back atop their rookie power rankings and a separate CBS Sports piece that came out today referred to Mitchell as the “Jazz’s unlikely rookie savior.”

It’s an absolute must-read for Jazz fans, so I’ve included the link to it in the tweet below:

My favorite quote from the entire piece was the following, which helps put up an awesome and often forgotten case for why Mitchell’s season has been so special and why he truly has been deserving of the Rookie of the Year nod so far this season:

"Every night, Mitchell is the defense’s No. 1 priority, almost always drawing the toughest individual defenders. One game he’s got Andre Roberson shadowing him. Another night it’s Trevor Ariza. As opposed to a fellow rookie like Boston’s Jayson Tatum, who’s afforded the luxury of existing as a secondary option while the defense focuses on Kyrie Irving, Mitchell has some of the fiercest defenders in the league gearing up specifically to stop him. And still, they can’t. He’s too athletic. Too crafty and skilled. Surprisingly, he’s too good a shooter."

Make no mistake about it, Donovan Mitchell is continuing to turn heads and garner national attention. Yes, it’s outside of the norm for a Utah Jazz player, but it’s the simple reality. From Charles Barkley, to rookie power rankings, to several other national outlets, Mitchell is being recognized as one of the best young players in the game.

Next: Could Aaron Gordon be a trade target for the Utah Jazz?

And the best news? His best is almost certainly still yet to come. Enjoy the ride, Jazz fans. We’ve sure got ourselves a great one.