It was undoubtedly one of the highlights of his incredible rookie season, but Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell isn’t keen on defending his Dunk Contest title.
So, even if you’re a long-time Utah Jazz fan — the kind of person who has been through everything from the heights of Stockton-to-Malone to Tyrone Corbin and Gordon Hayward‘s 25-win squad — there’s no denying that Donovan Mitchell‘s rise to stardom has been an all-time franchise moment. And his win in the Slam Dunk Contest was undoubtedly the coming-out party.
But if you’re looking for an epic year-two sequel to Mitchell’s grand introduction on the national stage, you’re about to be disappointed. Grease was an instant classic; we’re about to get Grease 2.
While speaking with the media ahead of the Jazz’s bout with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, Mitchell said he wouldn’t be defending his Dunk Contest title at All-Star Weekend in Charlotte next month. The reason: he’s focused on the Jazz’s season and doesn’t want to wear down on the homestretch.
“I remember last year when I came back from All-Star, I was tired.” Mitchell said, mentioning some nagging bumps and bruises he experienced. “Right now, my mind is really on helping my team make a deep run (in the) second half of the season.”
Here’s Mitchell talking about the Dunk Contest at Jazz shootaround via the Deseret News’ Eric Woodyard —
Donovan Mitchell called the decision “tough” to not defend his Slam Dunk title in Charlotte but said he was really tired after last year and struggled to catch up on rest afterward. “I just wanted to be able to be ready mentally and physically for my team,” he said. pic.twitter.com/LgDLEl3SZV
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) January 18, 2019
Now, as far as I’m concerned Mitchell has pretty solid reasons for skipping the event. The Dunk Contest requires a lot of time and preparation if you’re in it to win it, and Mitchell doesn’t do anything halfway. There’s also the off chance that something gets tweaked or hurt along the way, which would be bad news in Jazzland.
The Jazz may be just two games out of third place in the West, but they’re almost as close to falling out of the playoffs in the Wild West at this juncture. Good on Mitchell for employing some long-term thinking and putting his team first.
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That said, and I may be “get off my lawn!” guy here, but All-Star Saturday doesn’t quite hold the same mystique it once did for me and it’s definitely lacking some luster without Mitchell throwing down.
Short of Joe Ingles getting a spot in the 3-point Shoot-Out, which seems unlikely in a year during which his percentage has dropped nearly eight points, the whole night is probably a hard pass for me.
If you’re a glutton for punishment, NBA All-Star 2019 will emanate from Charlotte on February 15, 16 and 17.