O’Neal admitted that he can score no doubt, but falls short of totaling glory in some of the other junctures.Īnd there is some legitimacy to his inclinations that Donovan Mitchell should control more areas of the game. The Lakers experience gives them a big edge over Utah but if they get hot in the playoffs, Los Angeles will have their hands full if the two teams play.Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz Mandatory Credit: Russell Isabella-USA TODAY Sports Donovan Mitchell’s Utah Jazz just winĪccording to Shaq, Mitchell is far from the aforementioned triple-pronged qualifying prerequisite that exemplifies the cream of the crop. If anybody can stop him, it’s the Frenchman. Obviously, even the best defenders have a hard time slowing Davis down but Gobert is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner. Unlike most teams in the NBA, the Jazz actually have a big man who could possibly slow Anthony Davis down in Gobert. Mitchell is their best player and he’s only 24-years-old. The thing that likely held Utah back last year is their youth. Jordan Clarkson is an elite bench player and Quinn Snyder is a respected head coach. Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have both played in All-Star games while Mike Conley is one of the better point guards in the NBA. They’ve won seven games in a row and have a very talented roster. The Lakers would be unwise to underestimate the Jazz as a real threat in the Western Conference. Jazz Could Pose Interesting Threat to Lakers Perhaps he’ll actually use the comments as motivation and it will help him take his game to the next level. Regardless of what O’Neal says, Mitchell is an emerging superstar and only seems to be getting better. It would be one thing if Utah was losing but they aren’t. He’s one of the best young guards in the game right now and he’s leading one of the NBA’s hottest teams. Plus, Mitchell is averaging 24.3 points a game right now, which is a career-high for him. Also, the Jazz are only half a game behind the Lakers for the top seed in the Western Conference. The strangest thing about O’Neal’s decision to go after Mitchell was the fact that it came right after he led his team to a win and scored 36 points. Mitchell Has Been Playing Very Well This Season It’s possible that O’Neal was just trying to help motivate the young star but it didn’t really come off that way.ĪLL the latest Los Angeles Lakers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lakers newsletter here! LeBron has certainly received his fair share of hate from former players throughout his career so he understands what Mitchell is going through. “I’ve seen it both ways come my way, mostly the hate. “There’s a difference between constructive criticism and soft hating though,” LeBron wrote. On an Instagram post defending the Hall of Famer for his comments, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made it clear that he didn’t appreciate what O’Neal was doing. It seems unlikely that O’Neal intended for the comments to come off as mean spirited as they did but the interview certainly caused a bit of a stir. “I’ve been hearing that since my rookie year.”
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