Donovan Mitchell will put on the clamps defensively for Jazz

Donovan Mitchell followed in a long line of Louisville guards who were key pieces of their respective Cardinals teams. He made a big leap as a sophomore, and now Utah will hope he can take yet another step in becoming a star after selecting him No. 13 overall.

Mitchell was a first team All-ACC and All-Defensive Team member for the Cardinals his sophomore season. Sure, Mitchell doesn’t have the size you’d like to see in an NBA shooting guard, but he has a 6’10 wingspan, which helps make up for his height.

He can still improve in many areas of his game, but there’s no question that Mitchell has the ability to become a good player in the NBA. If he’s able to hone the right skills and continue to show the quick improvement that he has over the past few years, he can have a good career.

Mitchell was a good player for the Cardinals in his freshman season, but they didn’t need him to be great. The Cardinals were led by Terry Rozier, who Mitchell would ultimately replace his sophomore season. Mitchell did so in a big way. He averaged 15.6 points per game for Louisville last season, up from 7.4 in 2015-16.

He’s not a deadly three-point shooter but improved on his numbers behind the arc from his freshman to sophomore seasons. While his attempts were up, he saw a 10 percent increase in his makes.

Mitchell was best known for his dunks before he got to Louisville, and when he showed up, he showed why. Not only could he hit teams with a fastbreak dunk, but he’s also an alley-oop threat.

There aren’t many players at 6’3 who can do this on a basketball court with such ease.

Mitchell’s length makes him a pain for opposing offensive players. That 6’10 wingspan can catch ball handlers off guard when faced with somebody standing at 6’3.

That allows him to guard more than just point guards. “The more important thing is [on defense] … being able to guard guys as quick as [Russell] Westbrook [and the] same size as Klay Thompson,” Mitchell said after a workout with the Jazz. “I think I can do both, and that’s where it starts.”

His defensive skills should allow for more patience for him to develop offensively, giving him more time on the floor as a young-but-solid defender.

He was a late bloomer, and can be a streaky shooter. Mitchell didn’t start getting college offers until the end of his junior season. When he got to Louisville, he had an inconsistent freshman season, but to be fair, playing in the ACC is a different beast.

He still has skills that need to be developed at the next level, but the physical attributes are there. If he can have better shot selection and make smarter plays, he should be able to fit in nicely as an NBA talent.

There are plenty of interesting backstories with players in the draft, but Mitchell has a bunch of little tidbits that make him an interesting player.

The most interesting ones from his Louisville bio include:

Oh, and his favorite actor is LeBron James. That’s not a typo.