Utah Jazz rook Mitchell, US team walloped in Rising Stars game

First-year phenom Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz joined the US team for Friday’s Rising Stars game at NBA All-Star Weekend.

The NBA’s Rising Stars game officially tipped off the festivities at All-Star Weekend 2018. As is its custom, the annual rookie-sophomore bout was more about style than substance; dazzling dunks in lieu of defense. In that regard, Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell was the exception.

He served up a little bit of both, and even passed the ball to boot.

In a look-at-me game, where freelancing players work to hit their personal high spots with little resistance, Mitchell bodied up on ball-handlers and stuck his long arms into passing lanes. Not unlike his tendency with the Jazz in games that actually matter.

Perhaps the best example of this came at the end of the game. With his US squad heading for a 30-point defeat at the hands of the internationals, Mitchell snaked a ball off the inbound pass and, rather than get his own, quickly found the Atlanta Hawks’ John Collins for the power slam.

It was his fifth steal in a game where almost no defense was played and the assist of the night in a single two-for-one shot —

Mitchell was clearly looking to get others involved throughout the game. By night’s end, he had also racked up seven assists.

That’s not to say he didn’t also steal the spotlight from time to time. Mitchell threw down the game’s first (and, arguably, best) monster jam — a Tracy McGrady-esque pass to himself off the backboard for a one-handed tomahawk — to score his first two.

Behold, what could be a preview of things to come in the Slam Dunk Contest —

Largely content to be the set-up man, Mitchell finished with just seven points in the game. When he wasn’t dishing the rock or trying to throw down the off dunk, he also clanged some jumpers that may have gotten him into double-figures.

The hero of the day was the Sacramento Kings’ Bogdan Bogdanovic who hit seven 3-points shots in the game and finished with 26 points to lead the World team to the big win. In doing so, he captured the MVP honors.

Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics paced the Americans with 35 points and 10 rebounds. He managed some gnarly dunks of his own, too. Like this Isaiah Rider special —

Next: Utah Jazz rank: Top 5 All-Star Game moments

Next up for Mitchell is the Dunk Contest on Saturday. The 2018 NBA All-Star Game will take place on the following night.