This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Everyone is telling me to keep summer league basketball in perspective and not get too excited about Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, but that's not easy.
The unavoidable first impression of this guy is to say he's the best rookie in 10 years. I mean, the Jazz haven't brought in anyone like him since Kyrylo Fesenko in 2007.
You remember Fes. The center from Ukraine was always entertaining in interviews and intermittently productive on the court. He played a key, fill-in role in the Jazz's playoff series win over Denver in 2010 — the biggest achievement of this decade, until they beat the Los Angeles Clippers in April. Otherwise, Fes didn't play enough to merit a lot of media attention, so he never really lived up to the promise he showed in the summer of '07, when he became popular.
Mitchell is different. The first-round pick from Louisville is showing that he has enough game to justify talking to him regularly during the season. He might not say some of the goofy things Fes did, or with the Eastern European accent that made him sound even funnier, but Mitchell has some substance.
And he likes to talk, which is a valued trait. "I've always prided myself on being well-spoken," he said. "I pride myself on being different, and I kind of use this platform to separate myself, not just on the court but off the floor as well."
Yes, this is all about me. I've lacked a go-to guy in the Jazz locker room since Kyle Korver's departure in 2010. Korver fielded every question on any subject I brought up, including the Jazz fans whose devotion to the team was mentioned in their obituaries.
Gordon Hayward was cooperative, but he never said anything too deep or catchy. And he didn't seem to enjoy the nightly interviews that accompanied his status on the team. Mitchell will be an upgrade, especially once he grows into a bigger role with the Jazz.
He's well-raised and well-educated, even having spent only two years in college. It all stems from The Greenwich (Conn.) Country Day School, where "they are teaching public-speaking skills since nursery school," said his mother, Nicole, a pre-kindergarten teacher at the school. "Between his personality and learning about language at school and in his environment, the two together are a great combo. … Being in the public eye's always been part of his life."
Mitchell sang a solo in the musical "Oliver!" as a child and performed in other plays and choral recitals, as well as singing in a church choir.
Mitchell won't try to hog the spotlight as a rookie. He often uses a praying hands emoji in tweets, with a self-reminder to "stay humble." After his successful three-game run in the Utah Summer League at the Huntsman Center, including solid defense on Boston's Jayson Tatum, the No. 3 overall pick, Mitchell didn't get ahead of himself.
"I'm just excited that I proved myself a little bit," he said, "now I just gotta prove myself against the big guys."
Such quotes won't match the comedic styling of Fes, who once rode an exercise bike throughout a summer league practice, before his Ukrainian club cleared him to work out with the Jazz. Afterward, he described his day: "I tried to go to Ukraine — by cycle."
As an inexperienced driver, he looked for a car that would cost no more than $4,000. That way, he said, the damage of a potential accident would "not be so bad on my soul."
That was good stuff, encouraging me to conduct a Fes Fan Field Trip to Orem when he was assigned to the Utah Flash of the D-League. In his third season with the Jazz, after Mehmet Okur was injured in Game 1 vs. Denver, Fes ended up playing in the same number of playoff victories (four) as Hayward would.
He was gone a year later, and I've kept searching for athletes who treat interviews as actual human interaction. As Fes once said, "Somebody asks me a question, I answer, that's all. It's simple conversation."
Donovan Mitchell understands that dynamic. He's going to be great, I'm convinced.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Jazz at the Las Vegas Summer League
Monday • Off.
Tuesday • Jazz vs. Grizzlies, 2:30 p.m.
TV • ESPNU.