Utah Jazz: Make no mistake about it, Donovan Mitchell putting in work this summer

Based on the amount of offseason work Donovan Mitchell is obviously putting in, Utah Jazz fans should be ecstatic about his sophomore season.

The Utah Jazz didn’t make any flashy moves or big shakeups this offseason. Instead, they largely kept the band together by re-signing the likes of Derrick Favors, Dante Exum and Raul Neto. As such, they’re banking on continuity, cohesion and ongoing development being their keys to a breakout season.

And the main player who will have all eyes on him with expectations of immense growth for the upcoming season will without a doubt be rising star Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell was superb in his rookie campaign, breaking the 20 points per game mark to lead all rookies and all of his teammates in scoring. He set a rookie record for most 3-pointers made in a season and carried the Jazz on his shoulders time after time.

With all that being the case, it’s almost hard to see him getting even better in upcoming seasons. But based on what we know about Donovan Mitchell and his work ethic, I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet to say that the best is very much yet to come.

And while I’m sure we’ll never truly know just how much work Mitchell has put in behind the scenes to perfect his craft this summer, the small snapshots we have been awarded have been eye-opening. Make no mistake about it, Mitchell has been going all out putting in work this offseason, and it’s certain to pay dividends. Here are just a few recent examples from social media.

First came this video from NBA trainer Chris Brickley featuring some of the hard work Mitchell has been putting in on the court. Of course, the video is cut to remove any misses, but there’s still no denying these moves are impressive. If Mitchell can add a post-up game and a more refined pull-up three to his already deadly arsenal, among the other impressive flashes he displayed here, just imagine how formidable he’ll be on the offensive end–

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnSFaDOgQtd/?hl=en&taken-by=cbrickley603

Later, Mitchell would go on to post a shoutout on social media to his agent Ty Sullivan for being at the gym with him as early as 5 am to watch and support him in his workouts. That’s a cool gesture from his agent to show that kind of dedication. But as a Jazz fan, I’m even more excited about Mitchell’s dedication to hit the hardwood that early and put in that kind of work.

And according to a recent tweet from NBA writer Ben Dowsett, that kind of dedication and long hours spent at the gym is far from a rarity for Mitchell. During the offseason, he’s purportedly made the Zions Bank Basketball Center a home away from home as he looks to raise his game to the next level–

Last of all, a recent article from UtahJazz.com highlighted the hard work that much of the Jazz squad has put in this offseason and made specific mention of a topic that we already covered here on The J-Notes – Mitchell getting some first-hand advice from legend Dwyane Wade.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnDNGdcgcau/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_control

Add all this together and combine it with Mitchell’s undying desire and resolve to better himself and win, and I think the evidence is all there. We’re going to see a much-improved Spida in 2018-19. He’s obviously taking his career and offseason time extremely seriously, and I’m excited beyond words to see what the product looks like once he’s able to officially hit the floor when the new season begins.

The rest of the NBA better be ready, because Donovan Mitchell is primed to take the league by storm this next year. His offseason body of work is evidence of that in and of itself.