Donovan Mitchell put the league on notice with his play in the NBA Bubble.
Heading into the NBA Bubble, Donovan Mitchell had already been a 2019-20 NBA All-Star, the first All-Star recognition of his career, and was averaging 24.2 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game and 4.2 assist per game while shooting 45.3% from the floor and 36.4% from three-point range. The two biggest concerns for Mitchell was his health, as he had contracted COVID-19 during the NBA Shutdown, and his relationship with Rudy Gobert, who supposedly exposed Mitchell to the virus.
Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz qualified for the NBA Playoffs as the no. 6-seed in the Western Conference and were set to face the no. 3-seeded Denver Nuggets. This is when Mitchell became a face for the future of the NBA.
Throughout this series against the Nuggets, which the Jazz ultimately lost in game seven, Mitchell put on a show for NBA fans, but it was his play throughout his entire NBA Bubble experience that turned him into an NBA superstar.
The rise to stardom for Mitchell has been shocking for all NBA fans around the world, but not necessarily for us Louisville basketball fans. From his early days at Louisville, Cards fans could tell Mitchell was going to be special.
Going from football season, in which Louisville fans got to watch Heisman Trophy Winner Lamar Jackson dominate, to basketball season and seeing Mitchell’s breakout sophomore season, Louisville fans were definitely spoiled during the 2016-17 athletic season. One thing that brought all Louisville fans together though was Mitchell’s emergence this season and superstar breakout performances during the NBA Bubble.
With that being said, let’s take a look at Donovan Mitchell’s top five moments from the NBA Bubble.