Davion Mitchell’s reputation as a defender precedes him, but in his Miami Heat debut, he showed he’s not a one-way player.
Mitchell scored just four points but finished with four assists and zero turnovers in Monday night’s blowout loss to the Boston Celtics. He isn’t going to put up points at Tyler Herro’s level, but he can set up the offense as a true point guard.
Getting the start in his first game as a member of the Heat, Mitchell showed off his playmaking skills early. He tallied all four of his assists in the first quarter before the game got out of hand. The first was on a pocket pass out of a pick-and-roll with Bam Adebayo in the opening minutes of the game.
The most impressive of his assists came a few minutes later, when Mitchell pitched a crosscourt fastball to Andrew Wiggins for an open 3.
What also stood out was Mitchell’s ability to get into the paint. He puts his head down and uses his frame to muscle inside, but has an awareness of where his teammates are. Here, he drives and pulls two defenders before finding Adebayo in his sweet spot.
This rim pressure is key for Miami’s offense. Mitchell doesn’t always have to pass out of these possessions. Knocking down this floater consistently will go a long way.
There’s no question that Mitchell’s shooting needs work. He’s a 43% shooter for his career, including 33% from 3-point range. He went 2 for 8 overall on Monday, including 0 for 4 from 3-point range. He clanked one off the left side of the backcourt and didn’t hit rim.
But he’s not a zero. Mitchell plays with the demeanor of a natural point guard, looking to get teammates involved. He communicates constantly.
“I think that being in the NBA, you kind of get this tag when you’re really good defensively and you had bad stretches offensively where you [were] before, and now it’s like, ‘Oh, he can’t play offense,’” Mitchell said. “I think I’m a really good playmaker. I’ve shown it before, even when I was with the Kings, but it is what it is.
“I feel like I can make plays, I can get by my man, I can make layups. I can do a lot of things. I got to make them tonight, and I’ll be fine.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra obviously feels the same way, since he gave Mitchell the start in his first game. Mitchell (a plus-five in 23 minutes in a game the Heat lost by 18) did enough to earn another look as the team’s starting point guard in Wednesday’s game in Oklahoma City.