Donovan Mitchell Highlights His New Role for Utah Jazz in the Absence of Bojan Bogdanovic Ahead of NBA Restart

As NBA season nears its action, there will be a huge amount of expectations from the teams. The 22 participating teams inside the Orlando bubble will be engaging in competitive 5v5 basketball for the first time in months and we are eagerly expecting to see how it will unfold. Utah Jazz are one of the teams from the west that will be eying to make a deep playoff run once the season resumes. 

The Jazz have a comfortable set of games to play out before they can book their postseason berth. Their roster boasts two of the league’s most talented stars in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. While Gobert dominates on either end with his solid presence, Mitchell on the other hand, rattles his opponents with effortless dribbling and accurate shooting. 

23-year-old Mitchell earned his first All-Star game call-up in 2020 owing to a line of spectacular performances in the early half of the season. ‘Spida’ recently connected on a Zoom call with reporters where he listed his major area of improvement to focus on when the season restarts.

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell wants to lead the team in an overall aspect

Prior to the season’s suspension, Mitchell put up tremendous numbers for the Jazz. He led the team in scoring and assists, while Gobert dominated on the rebound part. But for the Orlando bubble, the Jazz won’t be receiving the services of Bojan Bogdanovic, the team’s second-leading scorer. 

Thus, Mitchell wants to evolve into a more distributional role to encourage his teammates to add to their scoring tally. “Becoming a better passer…more willing passer. I think getting into the lane, obviously, I get there and take certain shots, but I think, being able to find my teammates,” Mitchell said, as per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “Especially with Bojan being out, we’re gonna need guys to kind of pick it up and pick up the slack that he had.”

Mitchell certainly wants to inspire his teammates and emerge as a leader. “Getting [my teammates] easier looks, which then also comes back and makes it easier on myself, but being able to do that I think will not just help me for where we are now, but help me for years upon my career,” he further added. 

The Utah Jazz definitely has a talented roster at their disposal. When the season resumes, Gobert and Mitchell have an uphill task in hand. Can Mitchell step-up and carry the team to make a challenging run?