In a year of great rookies in the NBA, anticipation and attention churned around three of them during the Jazz-Lakers game on Saturday night at Vivint Arena: Donovan Mitchell (13th pick), Lonzo Ball (second pick), and Kyle Kuzma (27th pick).
One of them was by far the best of the bunch on this particular occasion.
Mitchell.
“I was trying to find ways to impact the game,” he said, after he did exactly that in the Jazz’s 96-81 win.
Quin Snyder concurred: “He’s got heart. He competes. He’s a warrior.”
Near the end of the third quarter, after the Lakers cut a double-digit Utah lead to six points, Mitchell showed his stuff, quite literally. He skied for a ridiculous tomahawk dunk, hit a 3-pointer, and forced a Laker turnover.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Jazz went on to victory.
“I was just relaxed,” Mitchell said. “Hyped up and relaxed at the same time.”
Everyone complimented the Jazz rook in the aftermath, including his teammates, and Lakers coach Luke Walton, too.
“He has a lot of talent,” Jazz leader Rudy Gobert said, acting as though he wouldn’t mind letting his 21-year-old friend share some of that leadership.
But, yeah, he does have talent. Tons of it. Get excited, folks. Go ahead and let yourself. Mitchell’s going to be something special, but not so special that Snyder wouldn’t point out that the kid also had five turnovers: “Biggest thing for Donovan is to not get too high or too low after games. … He obviously doesn’t have a lot of fear. That’s a good thing.”
Mitchell ended up with 22 points, seven of them coming in the fourth quarter.
The other two rookies — Kuzma, who played for the Utes, and Ball, who’s almost always the center of attention — were also on the floor at the end of the game, when it was still being decided.
But neither of them had the force and influence of Mitchell here.
Ball’s youthful, expansive skills are plain to see. He had nine points and four assists against the Jazz, after averaging 10 points, nine rebounds and eight assists coming in. He sees the floor and plays unselfishly, constantly looking to provide opportunities for others.
Lonzo deserves better than being obscured at times by his loudmouth father, who stirs noise in the manner of a carnival barker, the way an unfunny, insecure clown does — by slamming trashcan lids together to see if anyone will turn and look.
The most surprising of the three newbies is Kuzma, who started right in with the drawing of eyes during the Lakers’ summer league games. He set the alarm during Lakers preseason camp and it’s been sounding ever since, with Kuzma averaging 15 points and five rebounds. In Friday night’s loss to Toronto, he scored 15 points and grabbed 10 boards.
Folks at Utah might have thought Kuzma had a shot at being a fringe pro, but who foresaw … this?
Nobody.
Kuzma’s improved play, including shooting well from distance, as opposed to the much worse percentage he hit last year from behind the college arc, is a great mystery. Not even Kuzma knows exactly what the causes are for his growth. He said something about spacing before Saturday night’s game, but was mostly opaque about his progress.
Utes coach Larry Krystkowiak, who was at the game, actually said Kuzma was better-suited for the pro bomb versus the shorter college bomb, mentioning that the closer shot caused the player to “aim” the ball as opposed to simply letting it fly.
Against the Jazz, Kuzma, at times, let it fly, scoring nine points, getting three boards and three assists in 22 minutes. He’s a fan favorite in L.A. and will likely grow in popularity over time.
Just like Donovan Mitchell in Utah, whose NBA future is bright, but so is his present.
He outclassed the other rookies on this night.
“If he works hard,” Snyder said, “he’ll get better.”
Which is to say, he’ll get better.
GORDON MONSON hosts “The Big Show” with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 07.5 FM and 1280 AM The Zone.