The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: Three things to watch for in tonight’s Rising Stars Challenge

By Jared Woodcox

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 15: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz poses for a portrait as part of the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 15, 2018 at the Mariott in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 15: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz poses for a portrait as part of the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 15, 2018 at the Mariott in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – FEBRUARY 14: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz exits the arena after the game against the Phoenix Suns on February 14, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – FEBRUARY 14: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz exits the arena after the game against the Phoenix Suns on February 14, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /

How will Donovan compare to fellow NBA young guns?

Coming into tonight’s game featuring some of the best first and second year players from across the league, Donovan Mitchell not only leads all rookies in scoring, but he leads every one of his teammates on the U.S. Team, including the second-year players, in scoring. In fact, the only player participating in the contest with a higher scoring average than Mitchell is NBA All-Star Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Considering that Mitchell is putting up such impressive numbers against the top NBA talent across the league of all ages, it will be exhilarating to see what he’s able to do when playing solely against young up-and-comers. If you recall, Donovan Mitchell was dominant in last year’s Summer League, clearly separating himself as a superior player from those around him. These sure-fire NBA talents will certainly be more formidable than the average Summer League player, but it’ll still be interesting to see if the leading rookie scorer can show out in similar fashion once again.

And Donovan Mitchell is hardly your average rookie. He currently leads all first-year players who have appeared in four games or more in usage percentage at 28.7 percent. He’s also third in minutes behind only Ben Simmons and Lonzo Ball. In other words, he’s instantly inserted himself into a significant role for the Jazz as one of their primary ball-handlers and first scoring option.

Many of his teammates and opponents don’t boast that same kind of responsibility on their respective teams. Therefore, seeing how Donovan, who’s already well beyond his years regarding his skills on the court and basketball IQ, stacks up against other young guns is going to be thrilling to see.

He’s put on a show all season long against some of the greatest to play the game. Now facing talented but hardly proven or experienced players, he ought to absolutely be able to explode. I suspect there will be a notable difference between Donovan Mitchell and many of the others playing tonight and it will be exciting to see how he stacks up.

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