Jazz's Donovan Mitchell Admits Worrying He Was '1-Hit Wonder' in Regular Season

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell's second season in the NBA got off to such a slow start that even he had to worry about being a "one-hit wonder" after finishing as the runner-up for the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year award.

Mitchell recently revealed to ESPN's Rachel Nichols on The Jump that his early-season struggles created some doubts:

"I think what made it worse was when we started losing as a team, we were losing games badly," Mitchell told Nichols. "You know, we lost to Dallas, I think, by 50 points. There was times where you were like, you know, maybe like a one-hit wonder. Maybe just because no one knew who I was and I came and just shocked the NBA."

After being taken 13th overall out of the University of Louisville in 2017, Mitchell averaged 20.5 points per game on 43.7 percent shooting as a rookie while leading Utah to the second round of the playoffs. It took him some time to find his groove this season, though.

Mitchell shot just 38.1 percent from the field in December, dropping his season total to 41.1 percent through the first three months. He shot just 29.3 percent from three-point range during that span.

The Jazz were just 18-19 entering 2019. 

As he went through a rough patch on the court, he turned to a couple of All-Star veterans to try to right the ship.

"I turned to my guys Dwyane [Wade] and Chris [Paul]..." Mitchell told Nichols. "... I talked to Dwyane for about two hours. You know, I just talked to him just about what to expect in Year 2. For me, having the bull's-eye on your back was a different situation to be in. Having everybody target you, specifically, really, you know, opened my eyes a little bit. And it's one thing to hear it, and it's another thing to go through it."

The second-year Jazz guard also received advice from reigning league MVP James Harden.

"He really just told me, like: 'Just stick with it. It's not all gonna just be gravy. It's not all gonna be great,' Mitchell said of his conversation with the Houston Rockets star. "There was times when he was in OKC where things weren't, you know, going great. He was playing well, but things weren't like what they are now."

Mitchell acknowledged that his patience was tested, but the support of his teammates and coaching staff played a big role in his turnaround.

"The biggest thing was my teammates and coaches had my back," Mitchell told Nichols. "You know, they all were like, 'It's gonna turn around."

Mitchell finished the season strong, shooting 46.1 percent from the floor and 45.1 percent from three-point range after the All-Star break. He finished the regular season with new career highs in scoring (23.8 ppg), assists (4.2 apg) and rebounding (4.1 rpg).

His turnaround powered Utah to a 50-32 record and the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Ironically, he is now going head-to-head with Harden and Paul in the first round of the playoffs, not long after receiving advice from the two Rockets stars.