Daily Knicks
Fansided

New York Knicks: Is Donovan Mitchell An Option In 2017 NBA Draft?

By Maxwell Ogden

Mar 17, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and forward Deng Adel (22) celebrate against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks during the second half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and forward Deng Adel (22) celebrate against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks during the second half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Mar 5, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots the ball over Virginia Cavaliers guard Devon Hall (0) in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots the ball over Virginia Cavaliers guard Devon Hall (0) in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Outside Shooting

To compare Donovan Mitchell to Eric Gordon as a shooter would be insincere to the marksman that Gordon has become. It’s worth noting, however, that Mitchell has become one of the better shooters in this draft class.

If the Knicks can put him in better situations to convert open shots than the Louisville Cardinals managed to, Mitchell could be a game-changing acquisition.

Mitchell finished the 2016-17 season with 80 3-point field goals on 35.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He made 41 3-point field goals on 38.7 percent shooting over the course of the final 14 games, which translates to 2.9 made per contest.

Beyond the numbers, Mitchell displays no fear when letting his outside shot fly against taller defenders or when the shot clock is winding down.

Mitchell’s outside shot may not yet be elite, but he can do for New York what Jeff Hornacek has been imploring Courtney Lee to do. While Lee was certainly effective offensively, Hornacek routinely pleaded with him to shoot at will.

If the Knicks were to complement Lee with Mitchell and have him learn behind him, they could effectively build for the future at shooting guard.

Home/Knicks News