Report: Donovan Mitchell Addressed Jazz Teammates About 'Same S--t' Comment
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell reportedly expressed regret for derogatory comments he made about the team after the Jazz blew a huge lead in a loss last month.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Mitchell addressed his teammates and "made it clear with his genuine, emotional delivery that he had seen the kind of growth with this current group that made his sentiment off-base."
After the Jazz blew a 25-point lead and lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 121-115 on March 29, Mitchell said the following, per Tony Jones of The Athletic: "I don't know what to say … this is the same s--t ... this is literally the same thing as last year."
Utah had a golden opportunity to reach the Western Conference Finals last season against a Clippers team that saw Kawhi Leonard get knocked out for the final two games of the series. However, L.A. won both games and advanced, including a 25-point comeback in Game 7.
If Mitchell let frustration take over while addressing the media after the latest loss to the Clippers, it is somewhat understandable why.
As pointed out by Ben Anderson of KSL Sports, the Jazz made a habit of blowing big leads throughout the 2021-22 season:
The Jazz have performed well below expectations when the games matter most in recent years. Although Utah is in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year, postseason success has proved elusive.
Over the past five seasons, the Jazz have never made it past the second round of the playoffs, and that included a pair of first-round exits in 2019 and 2020.
The Jazz are a veteran-laden team, and they need to make their move sooner than later if they are ever going to win a championship with the current core.
Mitchell is still in his prime at 25 years of age, but most of the other key players on the roster are 29 or older, including Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside.
There is undoubtedly a sense of urgency to win now and win big in Utah, although doing so won't be easy.
The Jazz enjoyed a solid season with a 49-33 record to earn the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, but overcoming some of the teams ahead of them such as the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks won't be easy.
Utah clearly has the talent to go on a deep run, though, especially if everyone is on the same page following Mitchell's team address.
