9 – Davion Mitchell (Rookie of the Year betting odds = 15.00)
Drafted from Baylor
Picked by – Sacramento Kings (NBA Championship betting odds = 276.00)
Age: 23
Measurements: 6’1” (1.85m) 202 lbs (91.6kg)
Position: Guard
Davion Mitchell has done extremely well for himself and surprised us here.
He’s jumped 5 clear places to be the number 9 pick in the draft.
Time to take a closer look at what we might have overlooked about him.
AVERAGES AND STATS
Mitchell averaged 14.1 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game of his 30 games played last season. That’s very respectable, especially those steals.
He’s a solid prospect right across the stats.
Only his free-throw shooting percentage (64%) and relatively low total rebounds (2.7) give cause for any concern.
His height disadvantage means the rebounds aren’t a place we’d expect him to shine anyway.
If he can keep those personal fouls down The Kings have a real contender on their hands.
SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES
Davion Mitchell is a dynamic player to watch.
Although he is not among the bigger athletes in the NBA he possesses a devastating combination of speed and physicality.
A shifty, explosive ball-handler with a change of pace that is unpredictable and dangerous in attack.
Mitchell isn’t afraid to have a go at those valuable 3-pointers either – attempting almost 5 per game last season and nailing near half of them.
He is happy to unselfishly feed passes to teammates and that is reflected in those 5.5 assists per game last season.
Not to be sniffed at in tight encounters.
He is relentless in his attitude all over the court and that can unnerve oppositions at times.
As a defender, Davion Mitchell stifles opponents very effectively. He pressures the opposing ball handlers into making mistakes and is not afraid to get physical with the bigger guys when closing down their shots.
Attentive and hard-working off the ball, he gets his hand onto it surprisingly often and makes a constant nuisance of himself for the opposing team.
Although a very solid scorer percentage-wise – his free throws still need work.
CAN THE KINGS BE CROWNED CHAMPIONS THIS SEASON?
In a word – no.
Finishing 12th in the Western and 8th from bottom overall with a win rate of only 43% has drained most confidence in their prospects.
The addition of Davion Mitchell is undoubtedly a huge positive for them.
He will bring some much-needed dynamism and energy to their team.
Having said that, very few people are tipping them to succeed this season.
Betting odds reflect that and they’re currently at NBA betting odds 101.00 to win the Western Conference and 276.00 to win the NBA outright.
