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Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell eyeing a trip to the NBA Finals

By Jared Woodcox

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JULY 02: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz hosts a 3 v 3 Tournament at vivint.SmartHome Arena on July 2, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JULY 02: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz hosts a 3 v 3 Tournament at vivint.SmartHome Arena on July 2, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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When recently asked about how far the Utah Jazz can go this upcoming season, Donovan Mitchell made his intentions quite clear.

It’s no secret that the current Utah Jazz squad has high aspirations. The likes of Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and others have made that quite clear. The 2017-18 season was a great run, but it was far from reaching the goals that this squad hopes to attain.

And Donovan Mitchell recently reaffirmed those expectations and hopes that he and his Jazz teammates have for themselves. By now you’ve almost assuredly heard that Donovan Mitchell visited Kearns High School earlier this week to hand out backpacks and T-shirts to students who excelled in the classroom. If you missed it, be sure to check out the story via this link here.

Not only did Donovan give out swag and leave words of encouragement for the Kearns students, though, but he also opened up for a little Q&A session. While some of the questions were sort of basic or lighthearted, one was particularly meaningful. Per the Deseret News’ Jody Genessy, one of the students asked Mitchell, “Will the Jazz make it to the Western Conference Finals?”

To that inquiry, Mitchell had the following to say in response–

"“Hopefully we go beyond that, to be honest with you. Hopefully, we make it to the NBA Finals. We’ve got some exciting stuff this year. … I’m excited for this year.”"

I’m gonna be honest with you – I’m excited for this year, too, Donovan. Really excited.

This kind of statement isn’t something that Mitchell would make lightly. Sure, every player has the cliche answer of saying their goal is to win a championship. That kind of goes without saying, right? But very few have the substance to back up such a lofty aspiration.

Based on what Mitchell has shown us thus far during his career as a Jazzman, I’d say he absolutely has that substance. And this statement makes it extremely clear that Mitchell isn’t just looking at the Western Conference Finals and a hypothetical matchup against the Golden State Warriors as the team’s ceiling. He’s eyeing a trip to the NBA Finals. And he’s eyeing it for this upcoming season.

His high expectations but open honesty as well as his undeniable excitement for what should be a thrilling season, especially if the team has put in the offseason work that Donovan seems to be alluding to here, make it seem as if reaching the NBA Finals could be entirely possible for this oft overlooked Jazz squad. Doing so will undoubtedly be an uphill battle, but if Mitchell and his teammates are on board, I’m in no position to question them.

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Simply put, the 2018-19 season could not get here any faster. Mitchell is excited and hopeful. The team figures to be even better than last year. Their hopes and ambitions are firmly in place.

The Utah Jazz want to earn a trip to the NBA Finals. We’re barely over a month and a half away from seeing that potential journey get underway.

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