Physical Profile
Traditionally speaking, a 6’3″ player will play point guard and a non-facilitator will play shooting guard. As positional lines are blurred and motion offenses overtake ISO-centric systems, however, versatility is coveted far more than a traditional skill set.
In the case of Louisville Cardinals star Donovan Mitchell, his positional versatility is founded in his NBA-caliber physical profile.
Mitchell stands at 6’3″ and 210 pounds, which is more than ideal for the point guard position. He also has a 6’10” wingspan, which is both prototypical length for a shooting guard and, by comparison, 2.75″ longer than Avery Bradley’s wingspan.
Mitchell also has a 40.5″ max vertical leap, a 36.5″ standing vert, and both the lateral agility and end-to-end speed to make his mark in the NBA.
Mitchell ran the three quarter sprint, a drill that measures a player’s end-to-end speed, in 3.01 seconds. For perspective, that’s a faster mark than those recorded by Derrick Rose (3.07), Russell Westbrook (3.08), and John Wall (3.14).
With his size, length, speed, and explosiveness, Mitchell should be able to play and defend both guard positions at a high level.