Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell All-Star Weekend recap
![LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 17: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz talks to the media after winning the dunk contest during the Verizon Slam Dunk Contest during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night as part of the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 17, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 17: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz talks to the media after winning the dunk contest during the Verizon Slam Dunk Contest during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night as part of the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 17, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/1164c747ef5372d767d191f658196a3097f579ce6f2fb9a8518881d6e5b4fe79.jpg)
Comments from other NBA players
It’s no secret that Mitchell has received high praise from NBA players all throughout the season. The list of players that have shown their respect for him on social media has continued to grow all year long. Recently on Instagram, DeMarcus Cousins and DeMar DeRozan commented on a photo expressing who had their vote for Rookie of the Year:
Boogie and DeRozan know.#ROY pic.twitter.com/wsFGjVsA0N
— Matt Sanchez (@_MattSanchez) February 13, 2018
And DeRozan furthered that comment with some extremely high praise for the rookie during All-Star Weekend. Check out what he had to say in the video below:
DeMar DeRozan talks about why he thinks Donovan Mitchell is the leader for Rookie of the Year so far. pic.twitter.com/Hf5U2ylbSH
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) February 17, 2018
Damian Lillard, who has expressed high praise for Mitchell on several occasions already, had more to say about the rookie this past weekend as well:
Dame’s vote for #ROY ? @utahjazz Donovan Mitchell #takenote pic.twitter.com/5skKD6lAhy
— kristen kenney (@kristenkenney) February 17, 2018
He also received some love from the guy he replaced in the Dunk Contest, Aaron Gordon, who gave him a nice shout out on Twitter:
BIG SHOUTOUT @spidadmitchell for winning the dunk contest!!! Well done Brody. #morethanadunker
— Aaron Gordon (@Double0AG) February 18, 2018
But not all players were one hundred percent sold on Mitchell. Joel Embiid stated that he felt strongly that his teammate Ben Simmons was deserving of the Rookie of the Year Award as you can see in the video below:
Joel Embiid says that he thinks there’s no question Ben Simmons should win rookie of the year. That being said, he likes Donovan Mitchell a lot. pic.twitter.com/MOwIXztEzr
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) February 16, 2018
Nevertheless, to his credit, since he and Simmons are teammates, he absolutely should have this point of view. Not only that, but Embiid made it clear that, Rookie of the Year or not, he was a big fan of Mitchell’s game.
The last bit of criticism will likely come as a surprise to many Jazz fans, but former Jazzman Mehmet Okur took to social media to blast the 2018 Dunk Contest:
Worst dunk contest ever... !!
— mehmetokur13 (@MehmetOkur13) February 18, 2018
Considering that Memo was once so endeared in Salt Lake City and that now Donovan Mitchell is one of the overwhelming favorites among Jazz fans, this is kind of a bad look and feels like quite an insult to Mitchell who Okur ought to view as part of his Jazz family.
Hopefully this was just an unfortunate oversight, but it was still an odd take from the former Jazzman.
For what it’s worth, despite ongoing debates over Rookie of the Year or any praises or criticisms Mitchell has received, he’s been consistent in his message – making the playoffs is more important than any personal accolades this season. He reiterated that on more than one occasion during All-Star Weekend.
We caught up with Donovan Mitchell to talk about All-Star and winning the ROY.
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 16, 2018
"I’m not really too worried about the Rookie of the Year race. I’d rather make the playoffs." https://t.co/VbIx9SEWCu pic.twitter.com/4kfOYoQiqV
“It’s a credit to my teammates for trusting me.”@spidadmitchell on his Rookie of the Year campaign. #NBAAllStar #GameTime pic.twitter.com/YxtfyR7G04
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 18, 2018