![]() His averages of 31.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on 48.1 percent from the field and a smoldering 43.8 percent from deep are all career-high marks. The three-time All-Star Mitchell has been one of the brightest spots in the NBA so far this season. “I promote guys that have great seasons … There’s guys in the park that can shoot 50 times and get 28 points. “I don’t promote guys that have good seasons,” O’Neal added. But you gonna win? You gonna lead your team to the promised land? That’s what I care about. Anybody can shoot the ball every time and score a lot of points. We still got All-Star Game, we still got playoffs. He is already motivated to become a better player without awkward confrontations on national television.“This is regular season,” said O’Neal. He knows, and those who watch him on a regular basis know, that he impacts the game in several areas and is more than just a scorer - and by the way, he’s pretty good at that, too. Mitchell has already led the Jazz to three consecutive postseason appearances and is very likely to do the same this season. Whether or not Mitchell is a superstar in O’Neal’s eyes or Gobert is worthy of a lucrative contract by O’Neal’s standards doesn’t really matter. “Hopefully they get until July, and then they can call us whatever they want.” “If we keep winning games they’re going to have to watch us anyway,” he said of the TNT crew. Rudy Gobert, who has been a target of O’Neal’s for earning a $205 million contract extension, also pointed to the fact that the Jazz are winning, while also getting in a couple more subtle jabs. It’s not the first time that O’Neal has decided that a Utah Jazz player is getting more praise than deserved. Then, even after Mitchell turned in a second-half performance worthy of praise, O’Neal doubled down during Mitchell’s walk-off interview. Charles Barkley said Mitchell had “zero impact on the rest of the game” outside of scoring. O’Neal called Mitchell a “second or third option” and said he isn’t a superstar. On Thursday night in particular, with the Jazz on the longest active win streak in the NBA as they moved into second place in the Western Conference with a gritty 129-118 win over the Pelicans with Mitchell leading the way in convincing fashion, there really wasn’t a reason to talk about anything other than how dominant Mitchell and the Jazz have been over the last seven games.īut, the Inside the NBA on TNT crew decided at halftime to criticize the best player on the one of the hottest teams in the league. He’s been tight on defense, picking up steals and deflections, creating space, collapsing the defense, making amazing passes, rebounding, playing through contact and getting to the free-throw line where he’s shot 91.4% over the last seven games. ![]() Mitchell’s actually been incredible during the Jazz’s win streak. He finished the night with 36 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a block.īut if he’s not scoring, what else can he do? ![]() Mitchell was dialed in and making plays on both ends of the court, he was unselfish, he was smart and he was dominant. “But if he’s not scoring, what else can he do?” Shaquille O’Neal posited during the TNT halftime show. The Utah Jazz earned their seventh straight win on Thursday night, and they did it behind a stellar performance from Donovan Mitchell, who became the fastest player in NBA history to hit 600 3-pointers.
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