The Utah Jazz is a legit title threat because Donovan Mitchell is a certified superstar.
The Utah Jazz raced off with the best record in the NBA this season but despite that, not many viewed this team as a true threat to win the championship. However, this team has not shown any signs of slowing down in the postseason – something that many believed we’d see.
Once Donovan Mitchell returned in the playoffs, after missing Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Jazz has looked like their regular-season selves. In Game 1 against the LA Clippers, the Jazz didn’t blink as Mitchell led the way for the team, once again, by scoring 45 points.
On the brightest of stages, as the Jazz took a 1-0 series lead over the Clippers, Mitchell continues to prove himself as a superstar.
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It’s not only Utah’s depth that makes this team a true contender in the West, but it’s Mitchell’s strides that he’s made as a star that gives this team the ability and viability to win a championship this season.
The Utah Jazz has a superstar in Donovan Mitchell
The biggest reason why many didn’t – and perhaps some still don’t – buy the Jazz as a true championship contender, despite having the best record in the NBA, is because of their lack of a superstar. However, Mitchell has proven over his run in the playoffs last season to this year that he is exactly that.
And if the Jazz is going to make a deeper run in the playoffs this season, which they’re well on their way to making, it’ll be in large part to the play of Mitchell. He’s the heartbeat of this team and they’ll only go, as talented as they are, as far as Mitchell can take them.
In a West where it has become wide open, as the Los Angeles Lakers, the defending NBA champions, have been eliminated, there is an opportunity for a team such as the Jazz to make it all the way to the NBA Finals.
Utah matchups up well with the Clippers, as was evident in Game 1, and would be favored over whoever theoretically would win between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets. The Jazz is sitting in a good place as the playoffs begin to ramp up.
It was only one game, but the Jazz should feel good about their chances against the Clippers. Especially if Mitchell continues to plays like the superstar that he is.