Donovan Mitchell can’t hide smile after becoming first rookie with 40 points since 2011
By Dave Daniels
Donovan Mitchell accomplished something that truly made him smile.
Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell is having an amazing day. Last night, he dropped 41 points on the New Orleans Pelicans, and that is noteworthy for a lot of reasons. The main one is that a rookie hasn’t scored 40 or more in a game since Blake Griffin did it in 2011.
Mitchell broke out into a grin that he couldn’t hide once the free throw dropped that got him to 40 points, and it probably helped that his team got the win as well. You can check out the moment that happened right below.
That is called pure joy. Mitchell was a large part of Utah’s comeback in the fourth quarter, and they ultimately won 114-108.
"“I don’t have any words, to be honest,” he said after the game to ESPN. “I had Jonas (Jerebko) in my ear saying keep taking those shots. Even shots that may not always be good shots, he says keep being aggressive. Coach’s saying it. Everybody’s saying it. I’m pretty sure I was smiling for about the last six points I scored. Still smiling now.”"
The Jazz had a 10-0 start to begin the fourth quarter, and another 9-0 run later in the period. Mitchell was a crucial part of that second one. His game is impressive because it includes a lot of long 3-pointers, layups and pull-up jumpers that are super hard to contest.
It’s a shame that Anthony Davis went down with an injury in this match, and here is hoping that he gets back on the court soon. The Jazz should be quite pleased with their rookie, but they must also be happy about their team’s performance at the beginning of this season. After losing Gordon Hayward in free agency, it appeared like they were poised to be a lottery team, but that isn’t the way things have gone. They are 12-11 at the moment, and they would make the playoffs if the season ended today.
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Mitchell put himself on the short list for Rookie of the Year last night. If he continues to play like this, then he’ll be smiling a lot more in the future.