Even though he had fallen to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft, the prospect of potentially seeing forward Dillon Mitchell return to the college ranks this summer had a fair amount of Celtics fans worried. Mitchell might have slid in the draft due to concerns over his shooting, but as a former top recruit heading into college and an elite athlete, the prospect of losing him (even if potentially only for a season) did not sit well with some.
As we now know, that would not happen, but the St. John's alum was asked about how much consideration he gave to a return to play at the NCAA level. "For me, none," said the Tampa, Florida native viaCLNS Media. "Not really, … I'm here. I've worked hard to get here."
"Just (on) the
development side of it, I thought the few months I've had here was enough for me," he added. "I want to be here. And like I said, I've worked hard to get here, so it was an easy decision for me."
And given why Mitchell fell to Boston in the first place, what the former No. 40 pick had to say about what his focus has been in terms of development this offseason is exactly what you would want to hear. "Definitely the shooting."
"But I think the most (important) part is learning all the concepts, continuing to learn, continuing to ask questions, see it from my own eyes, see how they play, see the pace. But really the concepts, learning everything for the first time, and definitely the shooting has been another big piece."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Dillon Mitchell says he did not consider a college return vs. joining Boston Celtics
