Utah Jazz star named Western Conference Player of the Week
Last week was a good one for the Utah Jazz, and it’s no coincidence that it was also a good one for Donovan Mitchell. The team went 4-0, with the young scoring guard enjoying his best stretch of the season.
In fact, he was good enough to be named the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week.
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell offers masterclass in efficiency
A quick glance at Mitchell’s statistical output for the week would be enough to convince anyone that he was deserving of that designation. On the week, Spida averaged 33 points and 5.7 assists per game, while shooting 43% from three-point range and 93% (14 of 15) from the free throw line.
Fans of the Utah Jazz were particularly encouraged to see such shooting efficiency from their franchise player. After all, it isn’t something they’ve necessarily seen from him throughout the season.
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell is turning a corner
One of the oldest adages in the NBA dictates that shooters have to shoot. Donovan Mitchell hadn’t necessarily been the picture of efficiency in the early stages of the 2021-22 season. He had to keep generating offense anyway: this Utah Jazz offense doesn’t function otherwise.
This week, Mitchell found his rhythm and never let it go. He improved his season averages to 24.2 points per game, shooting 44.6% from the field and 33.7% on 9.2 three-point attempts per contest.
Jazz fans hope Mitchell’s hot week represents a return to form. Of course, Mitchell is unlikely to average 33 points and 5.7 assists while shooting 43% from deep over the remainder of the season. Such production would make him a modernized Michael Jordan.
Still, his torrid week should give them hope that he’s likely to finish this season with numbers that are roughly in line with the ones he produced last year.
When Donovan Mitchell is hot, this Utah Jazz club is incredibly difficult to beat. Nobody was able to do it last week, and that’s probably more important to Mitchell than any individual accolade.
