Meet draft prospect Davion Mitchell
Andy Katz sits down with Baylor's Davion Mitchell ahead of the 2021 NBA Draft.
Draft Home | Draft Board | Teams | Prospects
• Davion Mitchell is a dynamic, relentless guard who made huge strides as a shooter and shot creator as a junior to lead Baylor to the program’s first National Championship last season. Widely regarded as a top-60 prospect in the high school class of 2017 after his senior year at Liberty County High School (GA), Mitchell spent one season filling a reserve role at Auburn before transferring to Baylor. Sitting out a year before emerging as a starter as a sophomore, Mitchell helped key Baylor’s rise as one of the best defensive teams in the country. Averaging 14.1 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game last season under coach Scott Drew, he took his game to an entirely different level to earn All-Big XII 1st Team and Defensive Player of the Year honors as the Bears dominated the Final Four.
• Listed at 6-foot-1 with a strong 201-pound frame to go along with an even wingspan, Mitchell may not be especially long, but has a tremendous combination of quickness and physicality for a guard.
• Flashing the ability to get to spots with the ball as an underclassman, Mitchell stepped into a more prominent offensive role as a junior as his improvement as a jump shooter opened up his offensive game. Able to slide off the ball in multi-guard lineups but playing primarily point guard, he shredded opposing defenses with his ability to change speeds and get downhill with or without a ball screen. Shooting the three at a high level all year and doing a much better job using his quickness to make plays for others than he did as a sophomore, Mitchell turned a corner last season to emerge as one of the more dynamic guards in college basketball.
• Mitchell proved to be a stifling defender as well. With the quickness to pressure opposing ball handlers into mistakes, the toughness to defend bigger guards, an urgency closing out shooters, and a knack for getting a hand on the ball, Mitchell took over several big games for the Bears with his ability to make an impact on both ends.
Advanced Stats
• After playing off the ball quite a bit as a sophomore, Mitchell took on a more substantial shot creating burden as a junior with over half of his possessions coming in isolation or ball screen situations. A shifty ball handler whose ability to stop and start with the ball and sharp footwork allowed him to create separation at will, he averaged a massively improved 1.14 points per pull-up jump shot in the half court [95th percentile] as he showed the ability to stop and pop with a consistency he lacked early in his career.
• Using the threat of his jumper to get downhill, Mitchell drove and moved the ball with purpose last season scoring 1.26 points per shot around the rim in the half court [72nd percentile] and emerging as a prolific drive and kick threat. Able to play above the rim in space, Mitchell’s size still worked against him in spots and he has room to improve his floater, but his ability to attack the rim and make quick reads was crucial to Baylor’s strong play on the offensive end.
• Doing an excellent job sparking the break, Mitchell’s unselfishness and ability to use his speed to simplify the game for others stood out in the open floor as he ranked among the most efficient transition threats in the country while generating as many assists as he attempted shots pushing the break.
• Making an effort to run the wings in transition and scoring 1.31 points per catch and shoot jump shot [91st percentile], Mitchell did not need the ball in his hands to contribute last season and showed the versatility to score efficiently alongside a ball-dominant guard.
• He still has some room to improve as a free throw shooter despite his otherwise impressive consistency away from the rim.
Defensive Analysis
• Mitchell is a mature defensive player with an impressive combination of quickness, intensity, and toughness. He allowed 0.77 points per isolation possession [45th percentile] last season while often guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter scorer regardless of position. Doing a terrific job beating opposing ball handlers to spots, he proved adept at drawing charges or getting a hand on the ball.
• An attentive off-ball defender with a nose for the ball and a competitive streak, Mitchell may not be overly long, but has more versatility than most players his size and figures to have a chance to hold his own on the defensive end early in his career.
— Profile by Synergy Sports
