The Nets get back to back NBA draft picks here courtesy of the Bojan Bogdanovic deal. The Nets need talent, and they fill some of the void he left on the perimeter with another high octane offensive guard in Donovan Mitchell. The Louisville sophomore has come through in a major way for the Cardinals, upping his scoring output in every facet while occasionally filling in as the stopgap point guard, to boot.
Mitchell’s ceiling is fairly obvious upon watching him play, as his explosive athleticism and knack for shot making — despite some difficult attempts — give him clear-cut potential as a scoring threat on the wing. He has a quick first step off the dribble, and has proven himself to be one of college basketball’s craftier finishers around the interior. He can finish above the rim in emphatic fashion, or contort his body in mid air to find the right angle off the glass.
That aptness off the drive in coupled with improved consistency from outside, as his 3-point percentage (35.3) is an over-10 percent increase in comparison to last season. His quick, compact form allows him to get off shots in traffic, while that aforementioned quickness allows him to create off the dribble at an extremely high level.
That, combined with improved skills as a passer, makes the fact that he’s only 6-3 a very minor concern heading on to the next level. This is a Nets team that needs talent in the most pressing of the ways, and Mitchell is — without much debate — the best player left on the board at this point.