The Sacramento Kings have been busy this offseason. They drafted Keegan Murray, signed Malik Monk and traded for Kevin Huerter. Reports surfaced Friday that the Kings added KZ Okpala and Chima Moneke as well.
With all these new additions to the team, there is excitement in the air. Fans are feverish for the upcoming season. One player who is flying under the radar at the moment, but shouldn’t be, is Davion Mitchell. Mitchell is an absolute stud.
Many on social media were upset when Monte McNair drafted Mitchell. Just like with Keegan Murray, fans saw all the mock drafts and heard the “experts” tell them they should want someone else. McNair ignored the outside noise and drafted the best player available even though he drafted a first-round point guard the previous year.
McNair was right. Anyone who watched the first two minutes of the NCAA Championship Game saw that Mitchell was one of the best players in college basketball. He spent his rookie season in Sacramento proving he can go toe to toe with the best guards in the league.
He is a lock-down defender, he has a mechanically-sound shot that hopefully will find consistency with experience, and he broke the single-game record for most assists by a Kings rookie.
He averaged 11.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game in his first season; these were strikingly similar to De’Aaron Fox’s rookie numbers of 11.6 points, 4.4. assists, and 2.8 rebounds a game.
Davion Mitchell is a gym rat and it showed on the Sacramento Kings last season.
All signs are pointing to Mitchell’s success translating to next season as well. The second-year guard was asked if he has any vacation plans, to which he replied:
"“No, no vacation. I was just talking to Domas to see if he was going to take one and he was like, ‘nah, no vacation.’ We’re trying to make the playoffs and we got bigger things to look at. So, nah, no vacation."
That answer should excite every Kings fan. He is putting in the work and has a bright future in the NBA.
Monk or Huerter are projected to start at the two spot while Mitchell is expected to come off the bench. Mitchell starting on the bench at the beginning of the year is fine. The Kings need a strong, consistent start to the season, and Mitchell’s shot might need a couple of months before it is consistent in game-time situations.
Sacramento Kings missed out on a solid prospect once again
The Sacramento Kings and Monte McNair have received a ton of praise for their offseason moves, but did they miss out on another solid prospect?
However, don’t expect Mitchell to be a bench player by the end of the season. His defense, his work ethic, and his offensive upside are too good. Mitchell is a future all-star. He won’t be flying under the radar for long.