In this Davion Mitchell NBA Draft Profile, we’ll get into why Davion Mitchell shot up draft boards this past season. He was one of the darlings of this year’s NCAA Tournament where he actually outshined his backcourt mate Jared Butler and was the one tasked with closing games from the champion Baylor Bears. When Baylor struggled to get offense, Scott Drew often told Baylor to run some stall offense before giving it to Mitchell to attack at the end of the shot clock. His defense was his main calling card though, and that is why he was named this year’s National Defensive Player of the Year.

Let’s hop into why Davion Mitchell has begun to push himself into the top 10 pick discussion.

Defense, Defense, Defense

Davion Mitchell is an absolute menace on the defensive end, pestering and rattling whoever he seems to be guarding that day. It was especially on display in the tournament when he was instrumental and speeding up teams like Villanova and Wisconsin. Both those teams perenially average under ten turnovers a game and Mitchell’s on-ball pressure was a key cog in disrupting both of those teams and forcing turnovers. He’s excellent at sliding his feet and eats up unathletic guards or those with shaky handles.

Davion Mitchell’s defense is phenomenal: pic.twitter.com/ctaworaBvq

— Kendall (@kendallkaut) March 17, 2021

He’s the catalyst to Baylor switching from their usual 1-1-3 zone Scott Drew was known for to a straight man to man principle. Mitchell was responsible for being the head of the Baylor defensive snake and he excelled at it. He will no doubt be one of the better defensive guards in the league from just about day one.

Explosive First Step

Davion Mitchell too smooth ?@BaylorMBB #MarchMadness #Sweet16 pic.twitter.com/0xCpqYeT7T

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 27, 2021

What makes him so talented on defense in terms of being able to slide is also a big reason for his talent on offense. Nobody could stay in front of him in college, especially this year where his jumper needed to be respected. His ability to blow by defenders and get to the hoop was something Baylor took advantage of time and time again in the tournament. He then added that quick crossover and ability to pull up from three or hit the one-dribble pull up. All of it stems from his ability to lull guys to sleep with his dribble and then attacking with sudden quickness. That explosiveness may be less of an advantage at the next level but make no mistake about it, Mitchell’s quickness will still be elite compared to most in the NBA.

Weakness: Shooting

This is a tad misleading as Mitchell shot 44% from three this year on nearly five attempts per game this season. But this was his first season shooting over 33% from three and it’s not crazy to wonder if it’s repeatable or not. One would think the number of attempts, many of which came off the dribble and not just from the catch would lead me personally to believe it’s fairly real. His shooting improved drastically from all over the floor except the free throw line where he posted another year of under 70% free throw shooting. That percentage is unacceptable for a point guard, especially one who handles the ball late in the game. Similar to the way Franz Wagner’s excellent free throw shooting was a precursor to possible improvement in his jump shooting, perhaps it’s vice versa for Mitchell. Pointing at Mitchell’s poor free-throw shooting could be a sign his redshirt junior shooting campaign was somewhat fluky. He’s known for his work ethic, so I truly do believe he will continue to make this aspect of his game a strength as he enters a league with a deeper three-point line.

NBA Comparison: Patrick Beverley

Throughout the season Mitchell actually got the comparison jokingly to Donovan Mitchell for the 45 jersey number and how they move fairly similar. But at the end of the day, a potentially better offensively Patrick Beverley is who he could become in the league. Beverley has really improved his three-point shot and does a good job of sliding his feet and getting up underneath guys on defense. They both play with an energy that seems almost unmatched and take pride in keeping the other team from scoring on them. Mitchell is more explosive when driving the basketball and uses that first step better than Beverley. Part of me wonders if Mitchell could become at his ceiling a smaller Jrue Holiday with less length. It’s certainly a thought if he does reach his ultimate ceiling.