Donovan Mitchell

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell will miss Thursday's game against the Atlanta Hawks because of a right ankle sprain. 

Mitchell rolled his ankle in Tuesday's win over the Sacramento Kings. He went to the locker room with :34 seconds remaining the first half but returned to begin the third quarter and finished with 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists. 

A minor ankle injury was an issue for Mitchell during last year's playoffs, but he played in 10 of 11 games as the Jazz advanced to the second round.

Utah, which is tied for the NBA's best record at 6-1, will rely on Mike Conley and potentially move Joe Ingles into the starting lineup with Mitchell out.

In today's NBA, front offices draft a superstar like Donovan Mitchell and then spend the next nine years recruiting that player to stick around for a third contract.

Favors are done. Players' friends and family can find themselves in formal roles within an organization. That ongoing recruitment entails far more than adding complementary players on the superstar's timeline.

"The only chance you have to win a championship is to have one of those guys," said a veteran NBA coach. "If you're in a small market, you gotta do everything in your power to keep them—because you only get one every 40 years—without sacrificing your organization's principles."

But in Utah, the Jazz may have to go further, beyond paying the luxury tax to support the league's sixth-highest payroll. It's not just Utah's market size, 22nd in terms of television reach.  Players and coaches are quick to rank Salt Lake City among their least preferred road destinations. That does no favors, of course, in free agency. Lest we forget LeBron James' subtle jab during last season's All-Star draft.

Salt Lake City is not only the smallest NBA market by population but one that is made up of an overwhelmingly white demographic. According to 2019 census data, 72.84 percent of Salt Lake City is white, compared to only 2.61 percent of its population being Black or African American.

For a league in which its players are predominantly Black, Salt Lake City's lack of diversity has always posed a specific challenge for Jazz executives. Utah personnel discuss the dynamic quite openly. New owner Ryan Smith and his basketball operations team now seem to be making efforts to help their 25-year-old elite playmaker in Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and other Jazz players feel more at home in the city.

Mitchell has communicated to Jazz officials his own determined commitment to uplift Black men with equal employment opportunities. Mitchell's head of security, Frank Darnold, is African American. The Jazz, in turn, bolstered Quin Snyder's staff with Irv Roland, a noted skills trainer and former Rockets assistant coach. They expanded their front office with several new hires and promoted Marquis Newman to director of pro personnel. General manager Justin Zanik is credited with bringing aboard former Nike executive Chuck Terrell as senior director of basketball intelligence and noted draft evaluator Luca Desta as vice president of global scouting—all of whom are Black.

Smith's biggest swing was bringing former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade into Utah's ownership group. Wade, one of Mitchell's closest mentors, brings the organization a level of leaguewide credibility in its courtside seats and into its boardrooms.

One source with knowledge of the situation maintained Mitchell had no involvement in Wade purchasing a stake in the team. In any case, it's a move many league observers have viewed as a direct attempt by Smith to appease Mitchell, who first formed a strong connection with Wade through their representation at Creative Artists Agency.

"It's a little bit of new-owner syndrome, too," said an assistant general manager. "You come in, and you're immediately told, 'The star player, you want them to like you.'"

Wade has already proved to be a valuable voice in Mitchell's ear and would have been a trusted mentor regardless of his official involvement with Utah. He scoured Jazz film during the first round of the 2019 playoffs and texted Mitchell a long message full of feedback ahead of a Game 4 victory that kept Utah's chances alive.

Star-driven personnel moves happen across the league frequently. Thanasis Antetokounmpo will likely play for the Bucks as long as Giannis does. Portland is rostering 6'4" wing Keljin Blevins, cousin of Trail Blazers All-Star Damian Lillard, on a two-way contract for the second straight season. The Charlotte Hornets brought LiAngelo Ball to Summer League, training camp and now the franchise's G League outfit in Greensboro. Even in glitzier markets, like Brooklyn, major decisions are rarely finalized without consulting a team's marquee player. "If I had Kevin Durant," added the veteran coach, "I'd do whatever the f--k he says, too."

League observers have noted how Utah joined that long list. Wade is considered to wield strong influence alongside Smith in the Jazz decision tree. During the 2021 NBA draft, Utah sent a protected second-round pick to the Golden State Warriors to acquire swingman Eric Paschall, who once lived down the street from Mitchell in New York's Westchester County.

There does not appear to be any connection between Mitchell's interests and the ouster of former president Dennis Lindsey. That decision stemmed largely, sources confirmed to B/R, from a rift between the executive and Snyder in which Smith sided with his head coach. Jazz staffers point specifically to Lindsey selecting Udoka Azubuike in the first round of the 2020 draft, as well as other draft additions that failed to make an NBA impact as a main stimulant in the turmoil between the president and Snyder.

Utah's decision this offseason that raised the most eyebrows around the league came in September when Utah parted ways with its vice president of performance health care Mike Elliott. Injuries hampered the Jazz's postseason stretch last season, with Mike Conley missing the majority of the team's second-round loss to the Clippers with a hamstring injury. It became well known in league circles how Mitchell was notably frustrated when Utah's medical staff urged to keep him sidelined for Game 1 of the Jazz's first round matchup vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, which resulted in a loss.

Utah announced in a statement that Elliott "decided to pursue other opportunities," yet the context appears quite clear.

Zanik denied to reporters Elliott's departure was related to any friction with Mitchell. "With the training staff, there wasn't any impetus to change it because of any events last year," the general manager said. "Look, injuries happen. With return to play, there's always, you know, a bit of a debate and negotiation between players and doctors and health performance people. That has nothing to do with it."

But if it did, if it even came at the specific behest of Mitchell, few rival executives would fault the Jazz for hiring a new athletic trainer to treat Mitchell this season. "That's the way of the NBA," said one Western Conference player personnel executive. "Every team has s--t that they gotta do, or that they do, to cater to their players."

Especially when other teams are stacking their deck to make an earnest pursuit for your star.

There's a player option in the fifth year of Mitchell's $163 million contract, which still wouldn't let the All-Star reach free agency until 2025 at the earliest. And despite the superstar trade request seemingly more en vogue than ever, the Jazz appear to be doing just fine building around Mitchell in Utah. Around the NBA, he's known as a team-oriented and affable leader, believing this group can compete for a championship. Utah did finish top-five in both offensive and defensive efficiency last season.

As other teams like the Nets spent training camp in destinations like San Diego, Mitchell was vocal about the Jazz conducting training camp out of market, sources said, which led to Utah holding workouts in Las Vegas. The Jazz bunkered down in the Wynn hotel, creating an environment Snyder's coaching staff valued, similar to the Orlando bubble experience. 

The Jazz even recreated the bubble's side-by-side practice courts in a cavernous convention room, and players and staffers spoke of feeling fresher without having to ride a team bus or drive into the facility. Each morning players hung out in a private breakfast lounge, and any Jazz member could freely hit the pool during downtime.

Whether that heightened camaraderie can be a secret ingredient in the Western Conference playoff picture remains to be seen. Then we'll have the final piece to solidify Mitchell and Utah's puzzle.

     

Jake Fischer covers the NBA for Bleacher Report and is the author of Built to Lose: How the NBA's Tanking Era Changed the League Forever.

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell paid homage to deceased Utah football players Aaron Lowe and Ty Jordan on Saturday.

Mitchell wore a No. 22 Jazz jersey during the team's practice.

"I just wanted to pay my respects to Aaron and Ty in my own way. ... I'm not changing my number or anything," Mitchell told reporters.

Donovan Mitchell is wearing No. 22 — an apparent homage to Utah football player Aaron Lowe — at the Utah Jazz's practice this afternoon.

Lowe was shot and killed Sunday in Salt Lake City: https://t.co/RN1x0rfe8I pic.twitter.com/LJDpNonkwM

— Salt Lake Tribune Sports (@sltribsports) October 2, 2021

Lowe and Jordan both wore No. 22 while playing football for the Utes.

Jordan died at the age of 19 on Dec. 25. Allison Beckwith, spokeswoman for the Denton Police Department, told the Associated Press on Dec. 26 that Jordan accidentally shot himself in the hip. Per the AP, Jordan's cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Lowe was killed Sunday when he was shot at a house party in Salt Lake City. Police chief Mike Brown said in a statement that detectives were trying to identify a suspect or suspects in the case.

Jordan was named the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2020. He appeared in all five games last season.

Lowe was in his third year with the Utes. He played in each of the team's first four games in 2021.

Prior to playing together at Utah, Lowe and Jordan were teammates at West Mesquite High School in Texas. Lowe switched his jersey number from 2 to 22 this season to honor Jordan's memory. ..

The Utah Jazz lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals this past season, an especially disappointing result considering the team was up 2-0 to start the series and was the top overall seed in the West. 

But star guard Donovan Mitchell believes the team's time to win an NBA championship is now, as he told The Athletic's Sam Amick:

... Now it's like, 'What do you take from this?' Well, it's a similar situation, and understanding that this is a time—this is our time right here. We can get it done, and we've got to go out there and continue to work, and I think we need to come back with a little bit of a fire in us and understanding that there were times last year where we for…—I wouldn't say we forgot; we allowed teams to feel comfortable, and then you get to that space where it's a five-point lead, five-point lead, and then next thing you know they hit three shots and they're up one. ... This year, it's like, 'No, keep the foot on the gas. Full 48. Finish the game, finish the series, close it out and let's get ready for what's next.' And ultimately, we won’t be as happy until we win a chip.

As for the ankle injury that cost him the last 16 games of the regular season and the first game of the postseason, Mitchell said he's recovering nicely.

"The ankle feels good. I'll be ready to go," he said. "I think last year definitely was shaky. There were just so many different obstacles with the ankle and whatnot, but—like I said—no slight to Phoenix or Milwaukee or the Clippers, you know, [but] I feel like if we were healthy, you know, we, we get to the Finals. I feel like we [would] win, but you know it's all easy when you say ifs, ands or buts. It's easy to say that."

The hard part is proving it. The Jazz certainly looked the part of a title contender during the regular season, racing out to a 52-20 mark, the best in the NBA.

And in an offseason that saw a number of contenders deal with major injuries—Anthony Davis missed time for the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray missed the entire postseason, Chris Paul battled through injuries and Kawhi Leonard missed the final two games of the series vs. the Jazz—the door appeared to be wide open for Utah run. 

Failing to beat the Clippers lent further credence to the idea that the Jazz might be an excellent regular season team but aren't built to win in the postseason. It was a critique that was leveled at the Milwaukee Bucks in the past as well, at least until they won a title last year. 

Certainly, the small lineups the Clippers trotted out exposed Utah's lack of solid perimeter defenders, as the Jazz put Rudy Gobert in the pick-and-roll and pulled him away from the basket, neutralizing his defensive impact. 

It will be up to Mitchell, Gobert, Mike Conley and the rest of the Jazz to address those issues and discredit the idea they're simply a regular season team. Mitchell sounds very motivated to do just that. 

Dwyane Wade, who joined the Utah Jazz ownership group this season, reportedly has concerns about Donovan Mitchell's long-term future with the franchise.

"I do think that Dwyane Wade, who [governor Ryan Smith] brought in to be a co-owner but also be an advisor, is seriously concerned about Donovan Mitchell’s desire to stay there long-term," ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective podcast.

Mitchell's $195 million contract extension does not kick in until next season, so Wade's level of worry can likely stay at a minimum for now. 

Mitchell's leverage, should he want a trade, will begin kicking in around the summer of 2023. He'll be about halfway through his contract and could indicate he has no plans on re-signing once he can hit free agency in 2025 via his player option.

That would give the Jazz around a two-year window in which trading Mitchell would still bring back elite young talent and draft picks.

That said, the clock on a star's time in an NBA small market is always ticking. Damian Lillard's supermax extension with the Trail Blazers doesn't kick in until next season, and there is already handwringing in Portland about his future given the team's postseason struggles.

Mitchell could be in a similar situation in Utah if the Jazz continue to fall short. Utah has not gotten past the second round of the playoffs in Mitchell's career.

There are increasingly legitimate concerns about whether Mitchell and Rudy Gobert can actually compete at a championship level together.

Gobert also received a new five-year max contract in December, so the Jazz are locked into this core for better or for worse. 

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell reportedly will be skipping this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Mitchell is declining his invitation to join Team USA and "will use the time to recover and rehab from his right ankle injury."

Stephen Curry also reportedly is opting out of the Summer Games, per Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Curry and Mitchell join LeBron James and Anthony Davis as high-profile stars skipping the event. 

Don't feel too bad for Team USA, though. As Marc Stein of the New York Times noted, Damian Lillard, Draymond Green, Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bam Adebayo and James Harden have reportedly committed to the team. 

Those eight players alone make the Americans the heavy favorites in Japan, with four roster spots left to fill. 

A healthy Mitchell would have been exciting to watch at the Summer Games. The 24-year-old averaged career highs in points (26.4 PPG), assists (5.2 APG) and three-point percentage (38.6 percent) this season, shooting 43.8 percent from the field while adding 4.4 rebounds and a steal per contest. 

He helped lead the Jazz to a 52-20 record, the best mark in the NBA, though injuries to him and Mike Conley hurt Utah in the Western Conference Semifinals, where the Los Angeles Clippers eliminated them in six games.

There will be future Olympics appearances for Mitchell. He's emerged as one of the NBA's most dangerous perimeter shot-makers. 

A disappointed Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell gave his thoughts on his team's second-round playoff exit after falling to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6 on Friday.

Per Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune, Mitchell said: "It hasn't fully sunk in for me yet. I'm still in shock. … I don't know what I'm going to be doing next week. Probably watching the games, mad as hell. This hurts more than last year. This is gonna eat at me for a long time."

Utah blew a 2-0 series lead and it also blew a 22-point halftime lead Friday in what ended up being a 131-119 defeat.

Mitchell had a huge Game 6 with 39 points, nine rebounds and nine assists on 12-of-27 shooting (9-of-15 from three) despite being questionable with an ankle injury.

The ailment cost him the final 16 games of the regular season and Game 1 of Utah's first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies. While Mitchell returned and played well, the injury bothered him throughout the postseason.

Per Walden, he said: "It f--king hurt. Just tried to play through it. … I was just trying to find a way, by any means necessary. … But now we're going home. I'm still not mentally ready for this. We fought hard."

Although the Clippers won Games 3 and 4 at home to even the series, the Jazz were in a great spot entering Game 5, as Kawhi Leonard was ruled out for that game and potentially the remainder of the series with a knee injury.

Mitchell and the Jazz were unable to take advantage, though, as Paul George delivered a game-high 37 points, and a more unlikely hero emerged in Game 6.

Terance Mann, who came off the bench for much of the season with L.A., exploded for 39 points on 15-of-21 shooting from the floor and 7-of-10 shooting from three. George added 28 points, and Reggie Jackson had 27.

Meanwhile, the second-leading scorers on the Jazz were Jordan Clarkson and Royce O'Neale with 21 points each.

The Jazz got starting point guard Mike Conley back Friday after he missed the first five games of the series with a hamstring injury, but he went just 1-of-8 from the floor and finished with five points, three assists and two rebounds with six turnovers in 26 minutes.

At 52-20, the Jazz had the best record in the NBA this season, and falling short of the Finals in a wide-open Western Conference will be considered a disappointment. Versus the Clippers, they had both the series and then Game 6 well in hand before falling short.

Now, the Clippers and Phoenix Suns will square off in the Western Conference Finals.

Terance Mann scored a career-high 39 points, Paul George added 28 and Reggie Jackson dropped a 27-point, 10-assist double-double as the Los Angeles Clippers overcame a 25-point deficit to eliminate the visiting Utah Jazz from the playoffs with a 131-119 victory in Game 6 of their second-round postseason series on Friday at Staples Center.

The Clippers will be playing in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history after winning the best-of-seven series four games to two.

The season is over for the 52-20 Jazz, who finished with the league's best regular-season record.

Utah led 75-50 after Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell's three-pointer opened the second-half scoring, but Mann soon caught fire, scoring 20 third-quarter points. L.A. had 11-0 and 17-0 runs in the third to cut Utah's lead to 94-91 by the frame's end.

In the fourth quarter, Mann and George scored all the points in a 9-0 Clipper run to give L.A. a 116-106 edge. Utah eventually slashed the lead to 118-114, but Los Angeles responded with a Jackson layup and a Patrick Beverley three-pointer to keep Utah at arm's length. Beverley later hit another three for a 128-118 lead to put the final nail in Utah's coffin.

L.A. scored 81 second-half points and had 31 points off turnovers to Utah's four. The Clippers also outscored the Jazz 21-7 on the fast break and hit 20-of-39 three-pointers, with Mann knocking down 7-of-10.

L.A. won despite missing Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, who remained out of the lineup due to a right knee sprain that also forced him to miss Game 5.

Mitchell matched Mann's scoring output with 39 points. Jordan Clarkson scored all 21 of his points in the second quarter, and Royce O'Neale added a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr. came back after missing the entire series with a mild strain of his right hamstring. He struggled in his return, shooting 1-of-8 for five points and six turnovers.

     

Notable Performances

Clippers SG Terance Mann: 39 points

Clippers SG Paul George: 28 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals

Clippers PG Reggie Jackson: 27 points, 10 assists, 3 steals

Jazz SG Donovan Mitchell: 39 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists

Jazz SG Jordan Clarkson: 21 points

Jazz SF Royce O'Neale: 21 points, 10 rebounds

    

The Terance Mann Game

ESPN's Rachel Nichols said in a postgame chat with Mann and George that this night will forever be known as "The Terance Mann Game."

It's hard to disagree after Mann put the Clippers on his back by scoring 20 of his 39 points in the third quarter en route to one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history.

Mann was simply unstoppable anywhere on the court.

In the key, he overcame a double team from Mitchell and O'Neale and hit a tough layup:

Finding a way. pic.twitter.com/vqY8zs9Q2D

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) June 19, 2021

From beyond the arc, Mann made the Jazz pay time and again, with Utah center Rudy Gobert noticeably having a tough time defending Clippers from three-point range:

T3RANCE! 👌🏾 pic.twitter.com/HEVZW7WrAj

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) June 19, 2021

He kept the pressure high as the Jazz lead kept falling, going coast-to-coast here:

T-Mann going the distance.

📺 @ESPNNBA | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/Hbwuqm0azN

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) June 19, 2021

But the three-pointer was Mann's biggest weapon, and he a few other big ones as Gobert stayed home in the paint:

TERANCE MANN HEAT CHECK 😤

He's up to 34

(via @NBATV)https://t.co/lYDDaJq9e4

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 19, 2021

So smooth. pic.twitter.com/sZUeF47jeW

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) June 19, 2021

Naturally, Mann's phenomenal effort received massive praise on Twitter:

Terance Mann in the Clippers locker room after beating the Jazz https://t.co/j3nOIO4jZQ

— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) June 19, 2021

I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THAT TERANCE MANN WAS THE BEST BASKETBALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME BUT HERE WE ARE

— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) June 19, 2021

RE-CREATE THE STEVE BALLMER "THIS IS PRETTY COOL" KAWHI/PG INTRODUCTORY PRESS CONFERENCE BUT WITH TERANCE MANN AND REGGIE JACKSON.

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) June 19, 2021

The Clippers faced a tall order beating the Jazz after Leonard went down, but to their credit, the L.A. offense hasn't skipped a beat despite missing their scoring leader.

George was the Game 5 hero (37 points) before Mann took his turn in Game 6. Now the Clippers roll into Phoenix with a massive wave of momentum and confidence despite being shorthanded.

    

Jazz Complete Stunning Collapse

Utah finished third in defensive efficiency, per ESPN.com, en route to its league-high 52 wins. The Jazz also allowed the third-fewest points per game (107.2) and finished No. 1 in net rating, per Basketball-Reference.

Their roster sported the Defensive Player of the Year (Gobert), the Sixth Man of the Year (Clarkson) and a back-to-back All-Star (Mitchell).

Simply put, their collapse is stunning. They rolled into Los Angeles as winners of six straight playoff games, and a Western Conference Finals appearance seemed inevitable.

Instead, the Jazz proceeded to allow an average of 125.0 points per game to the Clips in four straight losses, two of which happened without Leonard.

A Gobert injury may have played a factor, as he revealed a midgame injury to reporters after the series loss:

Rudy Gobert said he fell on his hip on the 1Q, couldn't feel his right side, couldn't move as well afterward.

— tribjazz (@tribjazz) June 19, 2021

Gobert did not appear to move well as the game went on, and the Jazz as a team also notably struggled with the defensive star on the floor:

Rudy Gobert was -24 tonight, the lowest on the Jazz.

He also had 0 blocks. pic.twitter.com/p9h2o7Ej7i

— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 19, 2021

The collapse goes much further than Gobert, however.

Clarkson didn't score any points in the second half. Conley had more turnovers than points. Joe Ingles finished with five points and a minus-18. No one had any answers for Mann, George or Jackson, who combined for 94 points on 35-of-61 shooting (12-of-22 from three-point range).

Ultimately, it was an epic and historical collapse, with ESPN Stats & Info providing some context:

The Clippers trailed by 25.

Tonight was the largest comeback in a series-clinching win over the last 25 seasons. Nobody had even come back from 20+ down to win a series in that span.

Entering tonight, the Jazz were 232-1 over the last 25 seasons when leading by 25+ points pic.twitter.com/aEos7yoqKK

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 19, 2021

Josh Eberley of HOOP summed up the team's performance well:

They were up 2-0, they had home court, the shooters were out there, and Kawhi went down. Just a woeful conclusion to the Jazz’s season.

— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) June 19, 2021

Utah was the best team in basketball for much of the season, and there are a ton of positives to take away from this year. However, the team will also have to do some soul searching after the four-game collapse, prematurely ending what could have been a banner-hanging year.

   

What's Next?

The Clippers will now face the Phoenix Suns for the right to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. The Suns have home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series. Game 1 is Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET in Phoenix.