Don On The Defensive
? My son was watching Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavs play the Celtics recently. I won’t share all the details other than Don made a great play on defense, turned right around wheeling down court, and buried a three on TD Garden’s vaunted parquet.
When my son texted a screenshot to me, I joked that I was watching NBA 2K the video game to which he said, “Yea.” Some situations go down easier with humor, especially ones that insinuate qualities Don rarely had here.
Truth be told, Don’s departure to Cleveland broke my son’s heart at an early age. But, my son was kid in the mid-2010s who grew up watching Don win that Slam Dunk Contest in Dallas that Saturday night in February 2018 [though he was one of several celebrating on the bed in our hotel suite in Las Vegas, jumping up and down on the mattress after each dunk along with players I was coaching that were part of a college prep soccer team playing in a showcase.]
To make a wild long story short, my son forgot about the pizza he was cooking in the suite’s microwave and set it for 10:00 instead of one minute—an honest mistake that cleared out the entire 30-story hotel within minutes, preventing my son from seeing rookie Don lift what would be the only trophy he’d earn while wearing a Jazz uniform.
But, the firefighters were kind to my son and so was the hotel that offered us another suite, free of charge. [Our boys also won the consolation title two days later, and my son [in an orange hoody below] was as much a part of that team as those boys were.
In Vegas and elsewhere, the kids I coached kept a watchful eye on my son and taught him right from wrong as we crisscrossed the Western US at a time when my son needed that guidance and genuine care.]
? For all of his attacking ability and inability to defend a single person at the Utah Jazz, Donovan Mitchell was known here for one thing and one thing only: offense.
Are we adults in Utah honestly happy that Mitchell has led the Cleveland Cavs to a 56-12 record, best in the East? Keep in mind Don is still doing the things on offense that he’s always displayed on the Jazz, according to Royce Webb:
Garland and Mitchell are a joy to watch. Both possess amazing dribbling skills and footwork. But what I enjoy most is the creativity. Every game, I'm in awe of at least two moves that almost no other player in the league has in his arsenal. Defenders, as a result, often seem helpless.
Don is still getting his shots up with the Cavs, shooting a career-best 38 percent from three-point land. Shooting was never the problem for him though, as was illustrated on the bridge over the Gateway mall that got sandblasted away after Don was traded.
We would’ve killed for Don to play a little defense here. It was literally the one thing that prevented the Jazz from making two West Finals. Clips of Don playing D in a Jazz uniform on social media are as rare as snow was for most of this winter in Utah.
? Last year, Don didn’t have a choice. For the first time in his career, he HAD to help on the defensive end due to injuries to Evan Mobley and Darius Garland. Last year, for example, he only played in 55 games for the Cavs but averaged 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds—both career-highs—and had a career-low 2.1 turnovers.
That trend is continuing into this year. Don’s selfless behavior has been helping the Cavs in ways few could’ve fathomed. Cleveland has an outstanding 112.6 defensive rating, 8th best in the league.
The Cavs are doing this despite the fact that Don is playing the fewest minutes in any season [31.6] in his 8-year NBA career. His continued resurgence is due in large part to a career-low 7.6 turnover ratio, a percentage of his possessions that end in a turnover.
Give Don his flowers; it’s been a long time coming for someone ridiculed for his lack of defensive prowess here. Even a coach who was not long for Cleveland saw something in Don — though the visions were short lived as a head coach.
“The way he thinks [about] the game, it’s both sides of the floor. It’s not just an offensive thing, but he has a great eye for understanding what his opponent is trying to do. And then he has a way of dissecting that to create an advantage for us. And I think he’s able to see it on the fly. It’s not an, ‘Oh, shoot, I went home and watched the film and saw what they were doing.’ It’s a, ‘This is what they’re doing right now. This is how quickly I can shift and make them pay,’” former Cavs head coach J.D. Bickerstaff told Chris Mannix.
Though comparisons are indeed the thieves of joy, Don has been patterning his newfound game after two guys who have collected nine NBA All-Defensive team selections. To my surprise, Don didn’t mention seven-time All-Defensive Team selection and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Instead, Don said he’s inspired by the play of Tokyo 2020 and US Olympic teammates Jrue Holiday and Paul George.
That might have been a punch in the gut to those unaware of what the relationship was like between Don and Rudy in Utah, and how awkward their public rift became. But, it came as little surprise to us. We know the public spats had an effect on local kids who were still wearing those Adidas DON’s in 2021. But, it’s been heartening to see my son and other kids looking back on that Jazz era and this current one with some fondness, no matter how bittersweet some old feelings are. ?
Big Al Alert ??
RUMORS ? the interest that former Utah legend Alex Jensen had in the Utes open head coaching position was mutual, and so on Monday, he held his introductory press conference at a fairly-full Huntsman Center as Utah’s 17th head coach.
Almost one side of the 15,000-seat arena was filled into much of the lower level for his official arrival, marking a day in which the Utes’ current team was also invited to, and accepted a spot in the 16-team College Basketball Crown postseason tournament, set to begin in Vegas in two weeks when interim coach Josh Eilert will lead Utah against Butler. It will also be airing on the FOX family of networks. ?
Overthink This Photo ??
?? ? Miami Dolphins
It’s a new day for Zach Wilson, who’s seen here signing his one-year contract worth about $6 million plus bonuses. It’s a put-up-or-shut-up year for the quarterback out of BYU, who sat on the bench in Denver, learning from Broncos coach Sean Payton and starter Bo Nix. You’d have to think Zach’s the No. 2 guy in the MIA though, as he sits directly behind Tua, who has been injury-prone. ?
NOTE: my book review will be back after March Madness. Enjoy the tournament.
Thanks for reading; be safe and be well. I’ll see ya next time. ?