Screw the Fit: Davion Mitchell is a Destroyer of Worlds

The ninth overall pick entered the league with skepticism about his fit within the Sacramento Kings' backcourt. His play has all but quieted that.

I said I wouldn’t overreact to Summer League. I said I wouldn’t overreact to Summer League. I said I wouldn’t overreact to Summer League.

Okay.

Davion Mitchell is already one of the best on-ball defenders in the world. Frankly, that might be selling him short.

On Monday night, the Sacramento Kings Summer League squad faced off against James Bouknight and the Charlotte Hornets.

Coming into the game, the Hornet’s were carrying some very legitimate buzz. The front office was lauded for their draft day performance and the organization was crowned one of the winners of the night. The Kings, on the other hand, were crucified for their decision to draft Davion Mitchell. The selection brought the Baylor guard into an already crowded backcourt and many viewed the Kings’ selection as a signifcant failure given who was still on the board.

Somehow, in spite of Davion being drafted two spots ahead of Bouknight and ten spots ahead of Kai Jones, it felt like he and the Kings entered the contest as underdogs.

Well, what Davion Mitchell did to James Bouknight was violent. It was Mr. Burns releasing the hounds. It was Freddy Krueger haunting Elm Street.

Seriously, Mitchell inhaled the former UConn star; pressuring him into multiple turnovers, swallowing up any dribble penetration, and turning one of the most well-rounded scorers in this draft into a complete non-factor.

I can’t stress this enough, this kind of complete shutdown isn’t supposed to happen at the NBA level. A good defensive possession looks something like forcing a contested jumpshot or even a shotclock violation–you’re not meant to be able to wipe out possessions.

Davion Mitchell’s perimeter defense is like no other.

When it comes to defensive upside, lateral-quickness is a buzz-word that gets thrown around when describing a strong on-ball defender. But with Mitchell, it’s literally like he’s sprinting sideways.

In the context of the modern NBA, good perimeter defense is the ability to combine pressure and angles in a way that anticipates and then limits where an elite scorer is going.

With Mitchell, angles are irrelevant. He’s shown a unbelievable ability to stay fully attached to his matchup. So much so that even when he has a misstep, his core strength allows him to recover almost immediately. Even to the most casual fan, Mitchell’s ability to stay glued to the ball stands out. In an NBA that is built on offensive plays going viral, his defensive possessions were the highlight of the night.

It’s remarkable. Bouknight was scoreless with Mitchell as his primary defender and was forced into five turnovers.

When the Kings’ drafted Mitchell at 9, the initial worry was that he was entering an overflowing backcourt that included De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Delon Wright and Terence Davis. Mitchell likely wasn’t taking minutes away from Fox or Haliburton, and questions about where he fit naturally came up.

With these last two performances, Mitchell has–at the very least–answered any questions about whether or not he deserves rotation minutes. He slots in immediately as the best defender among that aforementioned group, and his top-end perimeter defense means that the former Baylor Bear will be one of Luke Walton’s most important players.

What surprised me though–and what could make Mitchell a legit two way star–was his command in the Pick & Roll.

Mitchell is an already elite pick-and-roll playmaker

Nobody in this draft is better at changing pace than Davion Mitchell. Throughout Monday night’s game, Mitchell showed that he could use his hesitation to get to the rim at will. That benefit of getting paint touches whenever he wanted helps explain how he was able to get 9 assists and zero turnovers.

Along with Mitchell’s elite ability to change pace, he’s incredibly poised coming off of the Pick & Roll. Most guys with his kind of explosion have a tendency to try and go downhill every time, but he showed the ability to make highly effective reads against the big men who challenged him.

Here, Nick Richards hard hedges Mitchell and tries to force pressure along the sideline. Mitchell reads this, spins back, sees the broken help coverage and finds Metu in the corner. It’s a high-level read in the context of a situation that has forced even the most elite prospects to turn the ball over.

Here, Richards plays drop coverage instead–probably the most common Pick & Roll defense in the NBA. Mitchell lulls him to sleep, and then bursts into a crossover that leaves him with an easy layup at the rim, embarrassing Richards and sealing the game.

Finally, here’s poor Richards accidentally slipping into the doomsday scenario; a switch.

Mitchell decimated the three most common kinds of defense he’s going to see this year (outside of maybe ICE-ing). Yes, it’s worth acknowledging that this is still Summer League and that Mitchell will have to succeed against defenders a lot better than Nick Richards, but it’s hard to deny how effective he looks within the context of these typical NBA actions.

We also don’t really know what Mitchell’s ceiling is

Mitchell seems to have an understanding and poise that’s rare for any rookie, and maybe that’s what Sacramento was looking for in drafting the 22-year old. Still, it’s hard to imagine them having anticipated Mitchell being this polished offensively. After all, the former Baylor Bear only broke the 20-point threshold five times as a junior. It’s an especially low number for a guy who seems like he could be a double-digit threat right away in the NBA.

I actually think that’s the most exciting part of Mitchell’s game. Two years ago, he wasn’t even on the NBA radar, and as recently as nine months ago didn’t seem like he had a chance at getting drafted. His ascension has been rapid, and who’s to say his development is finished. If Mitchell’s elite three-point shooting at Baylor can translate to the NBA game, then you’re looking at a guy who could be a perennial All-Star candidate.

The worries surrounding the Kings’ log-jam at guard are legitimate, but even if Mitchell’s offensive game doesn’t elevate to that aforementioned ceiling, his defensive ability and confidence in the Pick & Roll already make him one of the best back-up point guards in the league.

That’s a hell of a worst-case scenario.

Monte McNair has quietly built one of the most impressive three-guard tandems in the NBA. More importantly still, if Mitchell can bring his dominance from Summer League into the regular season, then we might be looking at a Sacramento Kings’ squad with a shot at ending their record fifteen-year playoff drought. We’re talking about a franchise who has been historically poor for over a decade, but suddenly–with the drafting of Haliburton and now Mitchell–there’s a culture change clearly on the horizon.

And who better to lead it than the reigning National Champion.