5 players the Sacramento Kings need to step up in 2022-23
By Ryan Brennan
3. Davion Mitchell, Point Guard
2021-22 Stats: 11.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.3 blocks (75 games)
Projected Depth Chart: Backup PG / Sixth Man
What We Need From Him: Defense, Driving to the Basket, Sixth Man, Improved Long-Range Shot
Davion Mitchell will likely be one of, if not the first players off the bench for the Sacramento Kings this season and I think he could make a case for sixth man of the year if things go well.
The Kings drafted Mitchell with the No. 9 pick in last year’s draft, but failed to make an All-Rookie team and was overshadowed by what turned out to be an incredible draft class. Don’t let that fool you, though — this dude can ball.
First off, he’s an elite defender that Mike Brown has already praised as “one of the best on-ball defenders I’ve been around” — those are his words, not mine. His defense is going to be key off the bench and he’ll be a nightmare for opposing offenses.
Related Story. Why we shouldn't sleep on Davion Mitchell this season. light
On offense, he’s still a work-in-progress, but the foundation is there. He put up 11.5 points and 4.2 assists in 75 games played (27.7 minutes) as a rookie. The Kings can use that off the bench, but that wasn’t even Mitchell’s best ball.
When Fox went down with an injury towards the end of the season, Mitchell started to show what he’s truly capable of. In 11 starts, Mitchell put up 18.8 points and 9.3 assists per game.
While I don’t think we’ll see that from him consistently off the bench, it’s good to know he’s capable of that production in a starting role — especially since injuries do happen, as they did last year. Still, I think Mitchell takes a step forward this year and improves on his decent rookie year.