The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: Previewing Donovan Mitchell and the Dunk Contest field

By Jared Woodcox

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 16: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the U.S. Team dunks during the Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Game during All-Star Friday Night as part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at the STAPLES Center on February 16, 2018 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 Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 16: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the U.S. Team dunks during the Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Game during All-Star Friday Night as part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at the STAPLES Center on February 16, 2018 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 Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 16: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the U.S. Team dunks during the Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Game during All-Star Friday Night as part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at the STAPLES Center on February 16, 2018 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 Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 16: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the U.S. Team dunks during the Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Game during All-Star Friday Night as part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at the STAPLES Center on February 16, 2018 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 Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Tonight’s Dunk Contest featuring Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell and three other high-flyers should be an exhilarating sight to behold!

Last night’s Rising Stars Challenge went about as one would expect. Lots of individual efforts on offense, little to no defense and plenty of threes and dunks which resulted in a lopsided 155-124 win for the World Team.

And while Donovan Mitchell’s seven-point outing on 3-of-10 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 from deep left something to be desired, he still made Jazz fans proud by being one of the few to show energy on defense (he logged five steals and a pair of blocks), by heaving some of the most impressive passes of the night to finish with seven assists and by pulling out arguably the coolest of many, many dunks on the night, which I’ve included below for your viewing pleasure:

https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/964686032259096576

Plus besides, fortunately we haven’t seen the last of Donovan Mitchell this weekend, not by a long shot. While the Rising Stars Challenge is fun and all, much like the All-Star Game itself, it’s not exactly riveting basketball. And while Mitchell didn’t have all that spectacular of an outing in the contest, he’ll have an incredible chance to redeem himself in arguably the weekend’s (and certainly Saturday’s) biggest event – the Dunk Contest.

All-Star Saturday is easily my favorite night of All-Star Weekend and Donovan’s participation should make it even greater. In preparation for when he hits the floor this evening to challenge some of the most extraordinary dunkers from around the league, let’s take a look at each of his competitors to get a feel for what exactly he’ll be up against.

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