As a member of the Utah Jazz ownership group, Dwyane Wade is not only rooting for the team in the postseason, but also rooting for Jazz star Donovan Mitchell.
The Miami Heat legend and Mitchell have had a relationship for years, and it appears that the three-time NBA champion has taken an active role in helping Mitchell grow.
“Wade, a decorated NBA veteran, had experienced a gamut of emotions, from championship euphoria to toiling for a lottery team,” ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan wrote. “He stressed to Mitchell the most valuable asset in the NBA was consistency. ‘My two previous playoff series were shaky,’ Mitchell says he told Wade. ‘It was like, ‘Man, how do I figure this out?”
“Wade advised him to dial back his urgency, to slow down his thought process, to simplify the game. ‘You are trying to attack from so many different angles, but you can attack it from one angle if you are patient,’ Wade explained to his protégé. ‘When you try to do all these different things at once, it’s not going to happen. Don’t force it. Let the game come to you.’ Mitchell was in a hurry. He was just 21 years old when he won the Slam Dunk contest and 22 when he made his first All-Star Game. But then there was 2020, when a host of injuries fostered lineup changes and uneven play.”
Mitchell also reflected on his performance in last year’s playoffs. His 57-point explosion in the series opener against the Denver Nuggets in the first round impressed a lot of people. But it was his all-around production in Game 2 that he deemed more rewarding.
“If you have 57 and win, that’s one thing,” Mitchell said. “But I had all those points, played big minutes, and we lost. I was exhausted. I said to myself, ‘I can’t do this every game.’
“I was more methodical in Game 2, more patient, like D-Wade said. Instead of thinking, ‘Attack, attack,’ it was, ‘Let me make an impact on the game in other ways besides scoring.'”
It looks like Mitchell is taking the lessons Wade has taught him to heart.
After being ruled out of Game 1 in Utah’s series-opening loss against the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, Mitchell has been providing the Jazz an offensive boost. The 24-year-old is averaging 28.0 points and 4.3 assists per game in the series.
