Video: Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell getting work in with Chris Brickley
By Ryan Aston
Check out Donovan Mitchell as hits the gym and works to improve upon his standout rookie campaign with the Utah Jazz.
To say that Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell has maintained a high profile this summer is something of an understatement. Although the Jazz’s season ended all the way back in May, Mitchell continues to be one of the league’s more visible players.
In the last month alone, we’ve seen him crashing fans’ Fourth of July BBQs, supporting his teammates at the Las Vegas and Salt Lake summer leagues, shooting video game commercials and, as recently as this week, winning major awards.
It’s been a beautiful thing to see if you’re a fan of the Jazz. Through it all, Mitchell has come off as a poised, thoughtful, high-character guy; an ideal figurehead for the Jazz organization.
That said, the real action happens on the hardwood. To that end, hoops trainer Chris Brickley has been posting some fun video snippets via Instagram for fans looking to see what Utah’s go-to guy has been doing in the gym of late.
Here’s one of Mitchell getting shots up, posted by Brickley on Thursday —
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlbdFzIgJGX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Now, obviously Mitchell is being guarded by air, in a largely empty gym, in this clip. Most of the NBA is going to knock down a lot of shots under those circumstances. Nevertheless, seeing that effortless form in action never gets old. Also — any strides Mitchell can make with his shot could pay huge dividends next season and going forward.
As a rookie, Mitchell hit on 44 percent of his shots overall and 34 percent from 3-point range. Those are respectable marks for a player facing NBA defenses for the first time and handling a historically high load offensively. But better efficiency on that jumper will really open things up for the Jazz offense.
Given the “easy ball” that he shoots and the fact he’s continuing to work hard to improve, I think Mitchell has a better-than-average shot of making it happen.
Here’s one with Mitchell working in a variety of situations at game speed, while employing change of pace and hesitation —
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk3zS_wgA-L/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Brickley’s work with Mitchell is no small thing. He’s made a name for himself in recent years as a major figure in the field of player development, working with players like Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Chris Paul and even LeBron James.
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He also has the Louisville connection with Mitchell. Brickley was with the Cardinals from 2008-10 as a player and was aided by Rick Pitino as he took his first steps into coaching/training.
The party-crashing and award-winning have been great; Mitchell is a fun character to watch off the court. But that’s all sizzle. The time spent in the summer with a high-level developer of talent — who also happens to share some common background with him — is the steak.