Donovan Mitchell’s bonkers putback dunk shows off everything we love about him

Donovan Mitchell didn’t have a good game again. In fact, he was worse in Game 2 of the Jazz’s Western Conference semifinals series against the Rockets. He shot just 6-of-21 from the floor with 17 points. Though to his favor, he did have 11 assists which is a new Jazz rookie record previously held by the great John Stockton.

But that’s not why we’re here.

His putback dunk off of his own miss midway through the fourth quarter with his team up four was a beautiful, violent display much like many of his dunks are. Though this wasn’t any regular putback dunk:

Mitchell treaded through Trevor Ariza like Ariza was water. He went for the Euro-step, holding the ball up high and behind his head so Ariza couldn’t get it, while Ariza was draped over him.

Mitchell’s floater was painful to watch. It looked like a real life version of what happens when you let go of your shooting motion on NBA2K either too early or too late. He was already having a bad night, and to get tied up like that is especially cringeworthy. The shot was plenty short.

But the basketball gods cleared the lane, Mitchell caught the ball at full extension, and damn near broke the back of the rim by dunking the ball so hard. It’s a signature part of his dunking style — he absolutely abuses the rim.

After the game, Mitchell laughed when asked about the dunk, and had a perfect answer saying, “I just happened to be up there, so I figure why come down with it?”

Joe Ingles, who had a “The Joe Ingles Game” performance with 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including 7-of-9 from deep, snuck in a dig under his breath, “You should have been back in transition defense. That’s where you should have been.”

He reiterated his point in a follow up question about Mitchell’s mid-air decision, but jokingly added, “I don’t know what his mid-air decision was, because I’ve never been in that situation before and I never will be.”

Further counterpoint to Ingles: If Mitchell was back in transition defense, we don’t get that play. Defense wins championships — so they say — but it doesn’t create highlight dunks, and the Jazz needed that one. It’s effectively put the clamps on any momentum the Rockets had gained after overcoming a 19-point deficit in the first half.

And on a night when Ricky Rubio was wearing a hoodie about defining what it means to be a rookie in support of Mitchell’s campaign to win Rookie of the Year over Ben Simmons, Mitchell reminded us why we all fell in love with him.

Oh, and this tweet: