With more evidence that Donovan Mitchell is the most overrated star in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers were beaten handily by the Utah Jazz who recently lost by 55 to the Charlotte Hornets. Utah won this one with a score of 123-112, and at no point was this game ever in doubt.
Donovan Mitchell, one of the most selfish players in the league and likely in league history, did nothing to make his teammates better, nor did he do enough to beat the Jazz. Mitchell’s soulless line of 21 points while shooting
7/18 from the field is the epitome of his career. I know that national writers and podcasters who are paid to look at box scores aren’t watching these games or following these things closely. But for Jazz fans who followed Mitchell, this is not a surprise. Every game and every team that has Mitchell as the leader does one thing very well: let you down. Mitchell had just 2 assists in this one, but managed to get up the most shots on the team. Having Evan Mobley put up 8 assists, 6 more than Mitchell, is actually crazy. I would like to talk about the Jazz but I think it’s important that someone out there makes sure it’s clear that Donovan Mitchell is the most overrated player in the league.
Oh and another thing. It’s not a coincidence that the young players on this Cavs team have all stalled in their development. Not a single one has consistently gotten better. Why? It’s hard to get better when your whole time on the floor is spent watching Donovan Mitchell and being available for a bailout pass if Mitchell’s drive goes badly.
Okay, let’s talk about the Jazz.
Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen are flat-out better than anyone on this Cavs team, and their numbers don’t look better because they play a team brand of basketball that Donovan Mitchell doesn’t. Utah, as a team, is one of the best in the league at assisting the ball. Keyonte George has become an incredible fascilitator for Utah and tonight was a great example. Goerge had 9 assists with 32 points while shooting 8/16 from the field, 4/8 from three, and shot 12/12 from the free throw line. He was the best player in the game and continues to show up big time night after night against the best in the league. There’s just no way, if you were an unbiased observer, that you couldn’t consider him the best player in this game. Oh and he did this with relative ease against Evan Mobley the former DPOY.
Utah also got another big performance from Lauri Markkanen, who scored 28 points with 12 rebounds and 2 assists (the same amount as Mitchell). Markkanen is consistently putting up great numbers night after night. The duo of Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen is looking like a great duo for the future, and Utah just has to find a way to get them one other high-level talent to join them. Yes, they’ll potentially get Walker Kessler back, but they have to add another talent with their top pick. It’s the chance to add an elite player that can help Utah become an actual contender for a title. But that would take the front office to actually do their job. Do they know they can make a trade before the trade deadline? Do they know that the pick is gone if it falls out of the bottom 8?
This type of win does next to nothing for the Utah Jazz. Sure, it feels good, but we now know who is worth building around, and we’re only hurting the team’s future with every win. Utah is one of at least 7 teams (Indiana, Sacramento, Washington, Brooklyn, Dallas, Charlotte, and themselves) that are trying to tank for this draft, they’re just doing it much worse than those other teams. Yes, Keyonte George is playing much better this season, but at some point, we have to ask why Utah is incapable of prepping for seasons when one of their players reaches another level. Utah lost out on an opportunity during the Wemby draft when Markkanen played well and the same thing is happening now with George. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great thing that George is taking a leap, but it’s not a great thing that players like Taylor Hendricks and Walter Clayton aren’t getting on the floor so players like Kevin Love and Svi Mykhailiuk get minutes. Not a lot is making sense again for this team, and fans would just like the Jazz to actually go for something if they’re going to go for it.
