The Utah Jazz are playing exceptional team basketball

                                         (Getty Images) 

On Friday night, the Utah Jazz defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 96-91, advancing to the second round of the playoffs, where they will face the Houston Rockets on Sunday afternoon. Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell stole the show, scoring 38 points, 20 of which were scored in the 3rd quarter. With Ricky Rubio going out with a hamstring injury (possibly out for a few weeks) and Russell Westbrook in full attack mode, the Jazz needed a big game from Mitchell and boy did he deliver.
   
What made Mitchell's performance so special was the way he took over the game. He did it all, hitting deep threes, throwing down vicious dunks, and slicing through defenders to make ridiculous layups around the basket. The amount of English he put on some of those shots was tantamount to what you'd see in a game of billiards. He was having one of those nights where nearly anything he threw at the basket found a way to go in.

Yet as well as Mitchell played, the Jazz didn't win this game by his performance alone. After all, Russell Westbrook was the top performer of the night, finishing with 46 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. What got the Jazz past the Thunder both on Friday and in this series was their selflessness and commitment to team basketball. Everyone found a way to contribute, whether it was Joe Ingles knocking down clutch threes, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert controlling the paint, or Ricky Rubio setting up others for easy baskets. Even Alec Burks got in on the action, scoring 11 points on Friday in 17 minutes of action.

What allows the Jazz to play this type of team basketball is the system put in place by head coach Quin Snyder, which demands lots of ball movement, cutting, and stellar defense. The Jazz realize that when they play the way Snyder wants them to, that brings out the best in them both as a team and as individuals. It takes a certain type of player to buy into this philosophy and the Jazz front office has done a stellar job of bringing in guys who embrace it.

As for whether or not the Jazz can actually take out the Houston Rockets, I personally expect the Rockets to win only because they have more talent. James Harden will be the best player in the series and Chris Paul could be the second best player. That all said, if the Jazz play the way they did against the Thunder and continue to execute the way Quin Snyder wants them to, they could make this an interesting series. As good as the Rockets look, they did show moments of vulnerability against the Timberwolves. They will definitely need to play a lot better if they want to avoid a competitive and close series with the Jazz.

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Utah's Donovan Mitchell deserves to be rookie of the year

 

(Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports)

With 11 games to go in the regular season, Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell has his team in the middle of a playoff race, currently 8th in the Western Conference with the potential to finish as high as 3rd. Mitchell was drafted 13th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft and has greatly exceeded expectations, averaging 19.9 points, 3.7 rebounds,  3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. While everyone pegged 76ers rookie Ben Simmons as the no-brainer pick for rookie of the year to start the season, Mitchell has made it a very competitive race and has many people arguing that he should be the one who wins the award.

While Ben Simmons has had a really good year, averaging 16.2 points, 7.9 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game with the 76ers positioned 6th in the Eastern Conference, I want to put forth my own case for why Donovan Mitchell deserves rookie of the year honors.

#1. Donovan Mitchell came out of nowhere: While everyone expected Ben Simmons to have a great rookie season, nobody knew what to expect from Donovan Mitchell, who was drafted 13th overall after playing three years at Louisville. He burst onto the scene late in college and did just enough to get drafted at the back end of the NBA Draft lottery.

During my annual mock draft I said about Mitchell: "While being only 6’2”, Donovan Mitchell weighs 210 pounds and sports a very impressive 6’10” wingspan. He has great physical tools to work with and knows how to get to the basket. He absorbs contact well and has the potential to be a very versatile shooting guard." 

I should also mention that I did pick Mitchell to get picked 13th, but I would be lying to you if I said I envisioned him to breakout like he has. If we are giving rookie of the year honors to the rookie who has exceeded expectations by more than anyone else, Mitchell takes the cake by a mile. 

#2. Donovan Mitchell has the Utah Jazz battling for a playoff spot: While the same can be said for Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell has his team in the mix for a playoff spot, currently 8th in the Western Conference with the potential to finish as high as 3rd. After losing Gordon Hayward to the Boston Celtics, nobody thought the Utah Jazz would be in this position. Mitchell has nearly made Jazz fans forget about Hayward, which is pretty remarkable when you consider how much Jazz fans cried when he left. Mitchell has done more than put up impressive numbers. He has the Jazz playing winning basketball and at the end of the day that is what matters more than anything else. 

#3. Donovan Mitchell has played against tougher competition: Playing in the Western Conference, Donovan Mitchell has had to play teams like the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and Oklahoma City Thunder three to four times at least during his rookie season. These are the very best teams in the NBA. Ben Simmons in contrast has only had to face these teams twice. While Simmons is putting up impressive numbers and has his team in playoff contention, Mitchell is doing the same thing against better competition. 

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