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Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell All-Star Weekend recap

By Jared Woodcox

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) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 18: DeMar DeRozan #10 of Team Stephen talks to the media during a press conference after the NBA All-Star Game as a part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at STAPLES Center on February 18, 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 Steven Baffo/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 18: DeMar DeRozan #10 of Team Stephen talks to the media during a press conference after the NBA All-Star Game as a part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at STAPLES Center on February 18, 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 Steven Baffo/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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.

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