Utah Jazz notes: Donovan Mitchell update, Bryon Russell jersey retirement?

From Donovan Mitchell, to Bryon Russell, to the debut of Utah Jazz Gaming, there was plenty of news making the rounds prior to Wednesday’s Game 2 showdown.

With Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets set to take place Wednesday evening at 6:00 PM MT, all eyes within Jazz Nation are focused on how the team can bounce back to knot the series with Houston at a game apiece. While that obviously deserves to be the focus, it’s far from the only thing going on in Jazzland.

Between news regarding former Jazz fan favorite Bryon Russell to an update on Utah’s 2K League team, this latest edition of Jazz Notes has a little bit of everything!

Donovan Mitchell ankle fine, gets pointers from Kobe

In Game 1 between the Jazz and Rockets, Donovan Mitchell rolled his ankle, then proceeded to have it stepped on by Eric Gordon in what looked like a potentially gruesome play. See it below for yourself:

https://twitter.com/DefPenHoops/status/990710094135529472

Although it looked bad and initially Mitchell was visibly shaken up, he was able to quickly shake it off and resume play as normal. Pretty shocking based on how far the ankle seemed to roll. In preparation for Game 2, Mitchell said the ankle feels fine, though, and that he’ll be totally ready for Wednesday’s bout.

I’ve seen several folks on Twitter refer to Mitchell’s ability to bounce back after that potential injury in a number of ways – that he’s made of titanium, that he’s indestructible, and my personal favorite – that he’s Gumby.

The dodged bullet on the injury front wasn’t the only reason Mitchell made headlines this week, though. He also was the topic of high praise for having his play observed by Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in his new series called “Detail” in which he breaks down film of specific players and highlights things they do that are unique and areas in which they can improve.

To check out the one Kobe did on Donovan Mitchell, see the video in the tweet below:

Not only is it epic to see Bryant spending an entire episode focusing on the blooming Jazz star, but the content that he provides is amazing. This is nothing short of a must-watch for Jazz fans.

Quin Snyder was quick to point out that it’s excellent that Kobe is observing Mitchell’s play so closely as well. Per KSL’s Andy Larsen, Snyder had the following to say in Wednesday’s shootaround:

"“Players teach you. I learned a ton from Kobe. I think if Kobe’s breaking his game down, that’s a good thing. It’s a compliment to Donovan.”"

Former Jazzman Gordon Hayward reportedly worked with Kobe Bryant prior to his breakout year as an All-Star. Perhaps Mitchell will be able to do the same and have a monumental ascent of his own as a result. As hard as it may be to believe, Mitchell still has ample room to improve, and perhaps Kobe can help him reach that untapped potential.

Bryon Russell believes his jersey should be retired

In a recent article from Deseret News’ Eric Woodyard, he provided us with a blast from the past on former Jazz fan favorite Bryon Russell. Though to the general public, Russell is largely known as being on the receiving end of Michael Jordan‘s acclaimed shot that sunk the Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals, to Jazz fans he was known as a gutsy defender and a key part of the team’s success during the height of the franchise.

With such being the case, Russell believes that he deserves a place up in the rafters of Vivint Smart Home Arena along with the rest of the Jazz greats.

"“Those (John Stockton and Karl Malone) are my two favorites. They should retire my number next to theirs. The amount of work I did as a Jazz player, we made some history together and I was a key part of that history. So I figure if they retire Jeff Hornacek’s number, they should retire mine.”"

Bryon Russell was always one of my favorites growing up as well and there would be no complaints from my end if the Jazz organization were to retire his number. However, the fact that his career stat line with the Jazz was 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 628 games while earning zero All-Star appearances may hurt his chances.

What do you think, Jazz fans? Should Bryon have his jersey retired or not?

Regardless of your thoughts there, you’ll likely enjoy the fact that Eric Woodyard treated readers to another interesting bit of information in his nostalgic piece, namely that Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry loved Bryon Russell when he was growing up and that he shares a widely accepted opinion with Jazz fans.

Regarding Jordan’s iconic shot in the 1998 NBA Finals, Curry said, “I was kind of hurt. I loved Jordan, but Bryon Russell was one of my guys and I was hurt that it had to be him.” Then he added, “He definitely pushed off, though.”

That’s something we can certainly agree on, Steph.

Jazz Gaming makes debut

The new NBA 2K League is allowing gamers the chance to showcase their skills on the hardwood, the virtual hardwood that is. On Wednesday, the Utah Jazz’s very own “Jazz Gaming” made its debut with a trio of games.

Next: Utah Jazz fever is awesome, but it’s causing real world problems

As of this writing, Jazz Gaming is right in the thick of their debut action, but we’ll be sure to provide an update of their results in the not-so-distant future. The games can be viewed on Twitch, and be sure to follow @UtahJazzGaming on Twitter to keep up with their schedule.