Put Donovan Mitchell in the 3-pt Contest
With the league progressing toward having an All-Star game (and subsequent skills challenges) despite many players--including LeBron James--arguing against having an All-Star night in Atlanta, let's take a look at why Donovan Mitchell deserves to be in the 3-pt shooting contest.
First off, the Jazz have been the best 3-pt shooting team this season. The only teams shooting north of 40 threes a game are the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, and Portland Trail Blazers. Meanwhile the only teams shooting better than 40% from three are the Utah Jazz, LA Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Brooklyn Nets. Thus, the Jazz are the only team shooting over 40 threes per game at a 40% clip. Simply put, no other team in the league is combining production and accuracy as well as the Jazz.
It's no wonder they rank in the top 5 in the league in both effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage.
A big part of their success is thanks to their resident superstar, Donovan Mitchell. Who is quietly having the best shooting season of his career. And arguably one of the best shooting seasons ever by a player not named Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, or Duncan Robinson.
The question after Donovan Mitchell's incredible rookie season was always if he could improve his efficiency. Well, it seems that thus far, he's arrived.
Sorry-not-sorry Shaq.
Here's the list of players this year shooting 40% or better on more than 8 3-pt attempts per game: CJ McCollum (a blistering 44% on 11 attempts but in only a 13 game sample), Duncan Robinson, Stephen Curry, Donovan Mitchell, Zach Lavine, & Tim Hardaway Jr (barely slips in on both attempts and efficiency).
CJ McCollum has missed close to half the season. Duncan Robinson and Stephen Curry are among the greatest shooters of all time (probably the best ever). Tim Hardaway Jr is one missed three away from being booted from this list. Further, Donovan is the only player on a team that is significantly over .500. Either way, put them all in the 3-pt contest.
Also, just to point out: Mitchell is the best defender on that list. Just saying.
Welcome to Inside the Jazz - the new Utah Jazz fan site on Sports Illustrated. Our site is currently under construction and the commenting capability is turned off. We look forward to engaging with you in the future! While we work on some exciting updates to improve your experience, you can ask us questions through one of our social media channels:
Facebook - Utah Jazz SI
Twitter - @Utahjazz_SI
Instagram - @UtahJazz_SI
