2018 NBA Mock Draft: The summer is decision time

I won’t get off this train for awhile. Feel free to hang your hat, kick your feet up and order a beverage. Hunter to Utah is one I’ll be riding straight into the summer.

Utah, in one of the greatest strokes of NBA luck in recent memory since Toronto stunk so bad at tanking that they became a No. 1 seed in LeBron James’ conference, lost out on Gordon Hayward one month after taking maybe the best rookie in franchise history. Donovan Mitchell completely reset the clock the Jazz had likely been shopping to replace. There was no clock for Utah after Hayward left if, say, Mitchell became as valuable as Luke Kennard, the guy drafted right ahead of him.

Instead, the season that was supposed to be doomed and gloomy in Salt Lake City has shown a new ray of hope onto the Jazz. The focus now becomes building a different sort of team around Mitchell. The Jazz targeted versatile players while Hayward was in town because so much of their offense came from the two-guard spot. The success of Joe Ingles and George Hill last year can be attributed to their freedom off the ball.

Mitchell is going to follow a different trajectory. He’s probably best in a more traditional point guard role, running pick-and-rolls and defending the smallest player on the court. Hunter can spot up for 3s and defend all five positions, making Mitchell’s life easier on both ends. I like this one a lot.