Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell carry the Jazz to a dub in overtime
The 2017 NBA Draft’s crop of rookies have turned out to be everything and more than experts had anticipated. While second round gems like Kyle Kuzma and Dillon Brooks have already established themselves as crucial members to their team’s success, top picks like Lonzo Ball, Jayson Tatum and Dennis Smith Jr. have flashed the skills that have them poised as stars in the making.
Lost somewhere in the middle between future star and late round steal, Utah Jazz’ rookie combo guard Donovan Mitchell has silently made his mark in his brief NBA career. Mitchell fell to the Jazz near the end of the lottery and has displayed the scoring abilities that had many draft analysts questioning whether he deserved consideration from teams drafting earlier in the first round.
The Utah Jazz took on the Portland Trailblazers Wednesday in a high scoring affair. Surrounded by bonafide stars on both sides, Mitchell didn’t shy away from the challenge and asserted himself into the thick of things from the opening tip. By the end of the game, the exceptionally talented first-year goal getter tallied up 28 points off of the bench.
Mitchell wasn’t the only Utah guard who churned out an impactful outing for the Jazz, offseason addition Ricky Rubio broke out of character and played the role of the point hungry shooting maestro as he bagged a nifty 30 points of his own. Since arriving from Spain to play in the NBA, Rubio has shot below 40 percent from the field and struggled to find any semblance of a consistent shooting stroke. This season, with more room to roam and infinitely more freedom to shoot, the floor general has found his shot and improved his scoring average six points from a year ago.
Rubio was great throughout the game, but made the most of his 30 point performance in overtime. The pass first point guard came to play in the extra period and put the nail in the coffin, dropping 11 points on gassed Blazers defense. The spaniard has blossomed with the change of scenery from Minnesota to Utah and the Jazz are on pace to finish with a practically identical record to last year.
If and when the Jazz build the chemistry to become a well oiled machine on both sides of the ball, they have the depth and skill to compete at the highest level on any given night. While they’re no threat to go the distance this season, don’t be surprised when they tiptoe into the playoffs and give their first round matchup hell.
