Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell Claims Lakers Not the Only Threat Despite Stacked Roster

The popular opinion going around off-late is that the Los Angeles Lakers will be in prime contention for the title in the 2021-22 season of the NBA. After all, they have a very potent squad. However, Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell recently downplayed the Lakers threat in an interview. He spoke about there being numerous squads that pose threats apart from LeBron James’ side.

25-year-old Donovan Mitchell will play for the Jazz for the fifth consecutive season next year. He has gradually evolved into a mainstay in the side, and will play a key role in their chances. With age, Mitchell seems to be getting better and better. In the season gone by, he averaged over 26 points in the regular season. He is one of the top young guards of the league, and will look to make the most of a potent Jazz squad this time. And ahead of their campaign, Mitchell has previewed how the opposition sides line up.

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‘Have our work cut out’: Donovan Mitchell addresses Lakers threat

In an exclusive interview with Ebony, Donovan Mitchell sat down to talk about a variety of topics. When asked about whether the main fear this year is LeBron James‘ side, he said that there is more than just one strong side. “The biggest thing is when the time comes we have to be ready for it [facing Lakers]. Not to say we weren’t [last season] or haven’t been. But just continue to be ready for it,” laid out Mitchell.

He also spoke about the strength of the NBA, in the sense that any given team can step up on the night. “The Lakers have a solid team. Golden State is coming back. You can never count out a Damian Lillard-led team [Portland]. Luka [Doncic] is.. Luka. There are so many different teams. Phoenix is the reigning Conference champs. Denver has the MVP [Jokic] and that’s just the West. We have our work cut out for us, but so do other teams. We added some great pieces. For us to be the team we want to be, we have to continue to put the work in.”

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Donovan Mitchell is definitely right in saying that there are multiple threats in the 2021-22 season. One cannot afford to place their bets on a single team. Nonetheless, the Lakers are almost certainly going to be contending for the top spots. Let’s see how things unfold.