Despite the Kings’ loss to the Warriors last night, the eighth of Sacramento’s last nine games, rookie Davion Mitchell turned in the best individual performance of his young career.
In a good dynamic for several days since he had chained four matches to 15 points or more before the duel against Stephen Curry and his gang, the former Baylor player has further raised his level of play on the floor of the Warriors: 26 points (11/17) and 8 assists.
This rise in power is not linked to chance: the 9th choice of the last Draft, in the absence of De’Aaron Fox, has started at the back alongside Tyrese Haliburton for five matches, and he is gaining confidence. Over these five games, his averages are 19.4 points per game, 52.6% on shots, and 38.9% from behind the arc. Over the whole season, the success percentages drop to 39.7%, and 30.7% at 3-point range.
More comfortable alongside a creator
Davion Mitchell is therefore very clearly much more comfortable, and effective, when he is in the Kings’ five major, alongside a creator like Tyrese Haliburton. ” I get open shots, and when I do, I find my rhythm to move forward in the game” explained the rookie.
His coach Alvin Gentry judged, for his part, that the ability of his 23-year-old player to shoot against NBA defenses, an aspect that raised questions before his Draft, allows him to aim much higher.
” If there is one aspect of his game that questioned, it was his ability, or not, to plant shots against NBA defenders. What you observe [à propos de sa série de cinq matches à plus de 15 points], he is a guy who has progressed in this field because he has worked. You ask Rico [Hines, le coach chargé du développement des joueurs à Sacramento], he will tell you that he arrives first in the morning and leaves last in the evening. And he returns in the evening. “
“These are the habits you take when you want to progress in an area and become a great player. So it does not surprise us that he has improved in shooting, because he is always listening. You ask him to do something, he complies” concludes Alvin Gentry.
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| De’aaron Fox | 43 | 34.1 | 45.8 | 24.8 | 74.4 | 0.5 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 21.0 |
| Harrison Barnes | 48 | 33.5 | 45.0 | 40.8 | 81.7 | 1.1 | 4.9 | 6.1 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 16.5 |
| Buddy Hield | 53 | 28.8 | 38.3 | 36.6 | 87.0 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 14.7 |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 49 | 34.3 | 46.3 | 41.8 | 82.8 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 7.3 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 14.4 |
| Richaun Holmes | 35 | 25.8 | 68.5 | 40.0 | 76.2 | 2.3 | 5.8 | 8.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 |
| Terence Davis | 30 | 17.9 | 42.3 | 32.9 | 81.8 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 10.4 |
| Davion Mitchell | 47 | 25.4 | 39.7 | 30.7 | 57.9 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 9.8 |
| Marvin Bagley III | 30 | 21.9 | 46.3 | 24.2 | 74.5 | 2.2 | 4.9 | 7.2 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 9.3 |
| Chimezie Metu | 35 | 22.2 | 41.5 | 28.1 | 76.1 | 0.6 | 5.4 | 6.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 8.7 |
| Alex Len | 31 | 17.1 | 52.3 | 31.6 | 64.3 | 1.5 | 3.3 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 6.5 |
| Tristan Thompson | 30 | 15.2 | 50.3 | 100.0 | 53.3 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 5.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 6.2 |
| Damian Jones | 33 | 14.9 | 60.8 | 30.8 | 70.7 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 5.8 |
| Louis King | 9 | 9.5 | 34.1 | 33.3 | 70.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 4.8 |
| Maurice Harkless | 35 | 18.8 | 42.1 | 27.6 | 64.7 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 4.1 |
| Jahmi’us Ramsey | 18 | 6.0 | 42.9 | 21.4 | 50.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.8 |
| Neemias Queta | 10 | 5.6 | 39.1 | 0.0 | 60.0 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Emmanuel Mudiay | 2 | 5.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 |
| justin robinson | 3 | 5.0 | 12.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Robert Woodard II | 11 | 3.2 | 8.3 | 33.3 | 100.0 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Ade Murkey | 1 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
