Donovan Mitchell spent almost 22 minutes talking to the media on Friday morning — discussing his concussion travails, his relationship with Rudy Gobert, his reaction to seeing Joe Ingles’ torn ACL happen, the Utah Jazz’s rough January, the team’s current place within the NBA food chain …
With the final question of the session, he was asked how, after two and half weeks away, he was able to maintain any semblance of cardio given that the nature of his injury necessitated not doing too much for significant amounts of time.
“Well, I guess we’ll find out tonight,” Mitchell replied with a laugh.
Granted, it may be due in part to facing a depleted and apparently dispassionate opponent in the Brooklyn Nets, but Mitchell’s energy in his comeback game was apparent and infectious, as they rolled to a 25-point victory.
On Utah’s first offensive possession, he whipped a no-look pass inside to Royce O’Neale making a backdoor cut for a layup-and-one.
On the second, he drew a foul and earned a pair of free throws.
And on the third, he fired away from deep deep, burying a 29-foot 3-pointer to stake the Jazz to a quick 8-0 lead, and bringing the denizens of Vivint Arena to their feet, only too eager to have something to celebrate.
“Honestly, I was just happy to be playing basketball,” Mitchell said afterward. “I was making a joke before the game, I didn’t give a damn if the ball went in or not. I was just happy to be out there running around, guarding, thinking the game, just having fun with my teammates.”
There was fun to be had.
Mitchell had 5 points and three assists at the end of the first period. He was up to 11 and four by halftime.
Early in the third, he nearly tore the roof off the place — driving into the lane, taking off from distance, flying through the air, then launching a swooping, contorting, double-clutch layup try that would not go in.
No matter. Within moments, he was quietly burying the Nets with seemingly effortless ease.
A 3 at the 10:07 mark. Another 3 at the 8:32 mark. Enticing Kyrie Irving into a foul at the 7:47 mark, leading to three free throws. Then, with 7:14 left in the period, he drilled yet another 3.
By the time the period was over, he was up to 25 points (on 7 for 9 overall and 6 of 7 from deep), five assists, and three rebounds in 18:57 of game time, as the Jazz held a 105-73 lead.
It was apparently as much fun for his teammates to watch happen as it was for him to make happen.
“He was unbelievable. I told him it looked like a video game,” said second-year center Udoka Azubuike, who put up a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double in a surprise start. “There was one time, I caught myself in the moment, because I thought I was playing in a video game, because it seemed like he couldn’t miss, like every shot was going in. Don, he’s a star. … Just getting him back adds so much to the team.”
With the game salted away early, Mitchell checked out for good a couple minutes into the fourth, having amassed 27, six and three, on a mere 10 shot attempts, in just 21:41 played.
If you’re looking for a negative, he did have four turnovers in the game. But that’s a pretty Debbie Downer critique, all things considered.
“I had four turnovers, which I wasn’t proud of,” Mitchell mentioned, unprompted.
OK then.
“[Quin Snyder] has sent me four or five text messages already. … He was the first person to tell me about my turnovers.”
It figures.
After all, he spent much of his postgame media session extolling the virtues of focusing on the details that could ultimately make the difference. Azubuike’s “best play of the game” was racing out to the 3-point line to contest a shot; Mitchell chastised himself for a missed boxout against James Johnson that led to an offensive rebound.
That granular minutiae can be saved for film sessions, though. Friday night was more about big-picture, feel-good stuff, which has been in short supply for a franchise that went 4-12 in January.
How much difference could the now-three-time All-Star make by himself?
“He’s Donovan Mitchell,” said Hassan Whiteside. “He came out hot, he got to his spots. We’re a different team when he plays. You can see why he means so much to this team.”
“It’s Donovan Mitchell,” added acting coach Alex Jensen. “He makes life a lot easier for everybody.”
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