Sometimes it takes a player time to find his way in the NBA. Even if they are selected with a high draft pick, they may have to go through some trials and tribulations before they reach their full potential. Selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, that may be the case for Davion Mitchell. Now in his fourth season, Mitchell has been a member of the Miami Heat for a little over two months now. The fanbase has already took him in as a fan favorite due to his rugged work on the defensive end as well as his solid job running the team.
Former Lottery Pick Finally Finding His Way With Heat
Davion Mitchell Is Showcasing His Talents With The Heat
The 26-year-old Mitchell has appeared in 27 games (14 starts) thus far for Miami. He has definitely been playing the best basketball seen by him at the NBA level with the Heat. Playing 32.2 minutes per contest for them, the 6-foot-2 point guard is posting averages of 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.3 steals. Mitchell has an assist-to-turnover ratio slightly over three while donning a Heat jersey.
He has continued to play well on the defensive end which has always been his calling card. For Mitchell not to become another, say Frank Ntilikina, he was going to have to find a way to step up his game on the offensive end. That’s what Mitchell has done with Miami. He is showcasing career-best scoring efficiency in shooting 49.5% from the field, 45.3% from beyond the arc, and 70% from the free-throw line.
The numbers have been even better of late for Mitchell. In 10 of his last 11 games, he has reached double figures in scoring. He also has five games of multiple steals in that stretch. Now due to the improved play, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald has reported that the Heat are likely to exercise his qualifying offer in the offseason. It will be worth somewhere around $8 million, either a little more or little less depending on if he reaches the starter criteria. Exercising the qualifying offer will make Mitchell a restricted free agent.
It certainly wasn’t a sure thing for Miami to make the decision to exercise it when they first acquired Mitchell.
Previous Stops Weren’t As Successful
The Sacramento Kings selected Mitchell ninth overall in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Baylor. The defensive-minded guard played each of his first three full seasons with Sacramento. This past offseason, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors.
Mitchell started just 32 games in his three years with the Kings. He was behind star point guard De’Aaron Fox on the depth chart, and he never exhibited enough confidence on the offensive end for Sacramento to feel fully confident playing him for lengthy amounts of time. His minutes dwindled from 27.7 as a rookie to 18.1 in 2022-23 to 15.3 in 2023-24. His aggressiveness also decreased as his shot attempts per contest went from 11.2 to 5.0 to 4.5.
He shot just 32.7% from three-point territory with Sacramento, meaning he was someone that defenses didn’t pay much attention to from outside. Offensive aggressiveness was non-existent in Toronto. While it’s not a large sample size, Mitchell is beginning to make waves in the league and could look to make Miami a long-term home.
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