Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell on record pace from 3-point range

Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell is amassing 3-point buckets at an all-time rate. A spot in the record books could be in his future.

During the Utah Jazz’s 17-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Donovan Mitchell was less than stellar from the field. Bad night notwithstanding (he was 4-for-15 in the game), the first-year phenom still managed to make a little bit of history in the shot department.

By hitting three of his eight 3-point attempts, Mitchell became the fastest rookie in league history to notch 150 makes from behind the arc. He did so in Game 63 of his rookie season, passing Damian Lillard’s previous record of 68.

While the partial-season mark is impressive, the actual record for most 3-pointers during a rookie season is also in reach for Mitchell.

As it stands now, his 150 threes rank as the eighth-highest rookie total of all-time; Lillard’s record is 185. With 16 games left to play for the Jazz, the former No. 13 overall pick would just edge out Dame’s number if he continues to bang down triples at current pace.

For the year, Mitchell is averaging 2.38 3-point makes per contest. If he continues at that rate, we can expect around 38 more long-range bombs by the time the Jazz wrap up their final regular season game on April 11. That would put him at 188 — three more than Lillard logged back in 2012-13.

Here’s a breakdown of the top eight —

1. Damian Lillard — 185
2. Stephen Curry — 166
3. Rudy Fernandez — 159
4. Kerry Kittles — 158
5. Juan Carlos Navarro — 156
6. Allen Iverson — 155
7. Matt Maloney — 154
8. Donovan Mitchell –150

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As fate would have it, that final game is against Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers in the City of Roses.

Given his team-oriented mindset, Mitchell would probably be more concerned with the game’s playoff implications than an individual record. As of this writing, the No. 10 Jazz are just four games behind the No. 3 Blazers and in a virtual tie with the LA Clippers and Denver Nuggets for the West’s final playoff spot.

Nevertheless, breaking Lillard’s record (particularly if it came down to that final night) would undoubtedly be a nice piece of evidence for Mitchell’s ever-growing Rookie of the Year case.