Mark Mitchell returning too

[kshepinthehouse]

I think a great NBA comp for Mitchell would be Pascal Siakam. Inside-out scorer with a serviceable 3pt shot and great slashing ability. It’s obviously too early to cast how high Mitchell’s actual ceiling is, but his skill set is one that will always be sought after in the NBA. As long as he beefs up a bit, somebody will give him a chance in the league.

Lively really confuses me. A lot of folks are high on him as far as NBA potential goes, but I’m not so sure. Not many teams are looking for a traditional big without much of a shot, regardless of defensive prowess and shot blocking ability. He reminds me of a less athletic, but much smarter Jaxson Hayes. Almost like if Jaxson Hayes tried to play with the skill set of Rudy Gobert. Shot blocker, extremely long, most of his worth coming on the defensive end, but will occasionally look for an open dunk. I don’t think he’s beefy enough to develop an NBA-level post game, and it’s hard to tell if he’ll ever develop a shot.

I’d love to see both of these guys back though, obviously.

Mitchell isn’t close to Siakam. Not sure how you came up with that comparison. But I don’t see it at all. Mitchell is not much of a slasher. As previously stated he gets blocked a lot when taking it to the basket or he gets “stuck”. He is nowhere near the elite slasher that Siakam is.

And Lively is going to be a rim runner, shot blocking, switching defender that can grab boards. And he can do all three most likely at an elite level. The NBA will absolutely want him.

Mitchell, who turned out to be a key player for Duke this year, doesn’t seem to have any elite traits. Nothing personal to him. If Mitchell were in fact as good at some of these things you guys claim then he would be a shoe in for the first round. Instead, if he came out this year, he would be very likely to go undrafted. Considering the NBA drafts on potential, they must not be too high on his.

[bshrader]

Mitchell isn’t close to Siakam. Not sure how you came up with that comparison. But I don’t see it at all. Mitchell is not much of a slasher. As previously stated he gets blocked a lot when taking it to the basket or he gets “stuck”. He is nowhere near the elite slasher that Siakam is.

And Lively is going to be a rim runner, shot blocking, switching defender that can grab boards. And he can do all three most likely at an elite level. The NBA will absolutely want him.

Mitchell, who turned out to be a key player for Duke this year, doesn’t seem to have any elite traits. Nothing personal to him. If Mitchell were in fact as good at some of these things you guys claim then he would be a shoe in for the first round. Instead, if he came out this year, he would be very likely to go undrafted. Considering the NBA drafts on potential, they must not be too high on his.

I think what you're missing here is that Mitchell just finished his freshman year. We aren't close to seeing the finished product or his ceiling yet.

I have confidence that in his sophomore year we're gonna see him start shielding defenders with his body to prevent blocks.

Offensively I don't think he'll ever be elite, but I think it can get to a point that it's more than serviceable for the NBA, given what he can offer in versatility defensively. I think you may see the mechanics of his shot improve, I think you'll see his skill of finishing at the rim improve, as well.

But his value, IMO, is always going to be what he offers defensively.

[Dukehk]

Wow. We just might be very good next year.

I guess NIL really has helped getting these kids to stay?

[AZLA]

Mitchell is such a good player on both ends. Stoked he’ll be back.

[Hancock 4 Duke]

Mitchell isn’t close to Siakam. Not sure how you came up with that comparison. But I don’t see it at all. Mitchell is not much of a slasher. As previously stated he gets blocked a lot when taking it to the basket or he gets “stuck”. He is nowhere near the elite slasher that Siakam is.

And Lively is going to be a rim runner, shot blocking, switching defender that can grab boards. And he can do all three most likely at an elite level. The NBA will absolutely want him.

Mitchell, who turned out to be a key player for Duke this year, doesn’t seem to have any elite traits. Nothing personal to him. If Mitchell were in fact as good at some of these things you guys claim then he would be a shoe in for the first round. Instead, if he came out this year, he would be very likely to go undrafted. Considering the NBA drafts on potential, they must not be too high on his.

Well of course he isn’t as elite of a slasher like Siakam, Siakam is a proven NBA talent with a championship ring to show for it. Mitchell just blew out 18 candles on a cake within the past year. It’s an NBA comp for a reason - someone in the league whose name people would know that has a similar skill set as the “ideal” version of the college player you’re comparing them to. Mitchell and Siakam are similar in how they operate, not how good they are at it.

Not to say Lively isn’t great at those things, but dominating in college and dominating in the league are two different animals. You saw that with Jahlil Okafor, granted his skill set was the polar opposite of what Lively’s is. But the amount of athletic rim running 5s without any real offensive game to speak of in the NBA is pretty scarce, and I’m not too sure it’s an issue of supply being low. There are a few to speak of, like Hayes and Gobert and maybe a dozen others, but they’re rare. I don’t doubt that a team will give him a shot in the first round, it’d be ridiculous not to for someone as talented as Lively.

[BrummieDevil]

I think what you're missing here is that Mitchell just finished his freshman year. We aren't close to seeing the finished product or his ceiling yet.

I have confidence that in his sophomore year we're gonna see him start shielding defenders with his body to prevent blocks.

Offensively I don't think he'll ever be elite, but I think it can get to a point that it's more than serviceable for the NBA, given what he can offer in versatility defensively. I think you may see the mechanics of his shot improve, I think you'll see his skill of finishing at the rim improve, as well.

But his value, IMO, is always going to be what he offers defensively.

This is the thing. It's easy to say, "Mark Mitchell isn't Pascal Siakam" because, ya know, obviously he's not NBA veteran Pascal Siakam at this point.

But Pascal Siakam wasn't who he is now at 19 either. He was still in prep school. Then as a 20-year-old freshman at New Mexico State he averaged 12.8 points and 7.7 rebounds and shot two 3-pointers all season.

If NBA teams draft young guys on potential, maybe it makes sense to not decide teenage freshmen are exactly who they're going to be, ya know? Too many fans make up their mind after college year one now.

[clinresga]

Not many teams are looking for a traditional big without much of a shot, regardless of defensive prowess and shot blocking ability.

Mitchell, who turned out to be a key player for Duke this year, doesn’t seem to have any elite traits.

Won't rehash the Mitchell debate--I remain confident he'll be drafted after next year and finds a place in the NBA. And I'm astounded anyone doubts Lively's potential there.

These are kids!! Mitchell is 19 and 7 months old. Lively just turned 19 in February! To think that what we saw this season is representative of what a Mitchell or a Lively looks like in four years after spending 100% of their professional time learning and playing basketball is silly. Gosh, these guys may still be growing for all we know (bigger than 7'1" with a 7'8" wingspan--terrifying).

Remember too the impact of injury. We had this debate on an earlier thread. Lively showed significant shooting skills in high school. By the time Derek returned to form after his injury, half the season was gone and Duke was into high stakes ACC games. I think Duke coached Lively not to try and work a 3 point shot into his game and focus on his D. But if he had been given the chance to shoot 3's in the preseason/exhibition season, I think he would have developed further. And I base that not on pure speculation, but on his reputation coming out of high school. For example, Paul Biancardi said this:

"He’s honed his 3-point shot to where he’s a legitimate threat behind the arc and he’s also a terrific passer as a big man."

And on si.com's high school rankings, Isaac Condra said "watching back his AAU film, he looks extremely comfortable shooting the ball and has a projectable shooting stroke. Back in 2021, with Team Final he shot 31.6% from three and 37% on unguarded catch and shoot jumpers."

Rob Brown, director of his AAU team: "“He wants to continue to refine his jump shot even though it’s very strong now,” “If he missed it was a shock to him. If he steps on a court the first shot that he shoots is a 3-pointer. He’s very adept at facing the basket and shooting from long distance. I think he had three 3-pointers in our championship game at the Southern Invitational so he is very adept at shooting 3-point shots.”

I think he'll develop a 35+% unguarded catch and shoot 3-point shot, enough to legitimize him in a PNR offense. Add that to otherworldly defensive skills and solid rebounding and I think he'll have a long NBA career

[Sixthman]

Teams win championships when they have guys who play great defense, can rebound, and when at the end of the game the guy has 15 points and as a fan you think, “I had know idea he scored that much”. Meet Mark Mitchell.

[sagegrouse]

Not to say Lively isn’t great at those things, but dominating in college and dominating in the league are two different animals. You saw that with Jahlil Okafor, granted his skill set was the polar opposite of what Lively’s is. But the amount of athletic rim running 5s without any real offensive game to speak of in the NBA is pretty scarce, and I’m not too sure it’s an issue of supply being low. There are a few to speak of, like Hayes and Gobert and maybe a dozen others, but they’re rare. I don’t doubt that a team will give him a shot in the first round, it’d be ridiculous not to for someone as talented as Lively.

Lively has size, spring,and agility like no one I've ever seen. He could play well now as a defensive specialist for any team in the NBA. IMHO (where the H disappeared in a rack at a Helly Hansdn store).

[Southgate0809]

Lively has size, spring,and agility like no one I've ever seen. He could play well now as a defensive specialist for any team in the NBA. IMHO (where the H disappeared in a rack at a Helly Hansdn store).

I haven't understood Lively being described as someone with elite bounce or spring. He certainly has great leaping ability, good timing to block shots, and he's good at going up above defenders to grab a running alley oops. He's also good at wide open outback dunks, but you usually only see that when he's wide open. If I compare his "bounce," which is kind of a vague term, to a guy like Marvin Bagley, I would say Bagley is elite, and Livley is just good. I don't know if I've seen Lively go up and dunk the ball in the post and be able to just go up and dunk it because he gets up to the rim faster than his defenders.

[sagegrouse]

To me, Lively can guard people all over the the floor; he's 7-1b and he seems to show no clumsiness in getting in the air inside on both O and D. Coach Jon did call him a "unicorn." He's not the all-around talent like Bagley, but he has some amazing capabilities.

We'll know soon enough.

[brevity]

Earlier today, Mark Mitchell spoke to The Field of 68 (Twitter, YouTube) about Kyle Filipowski and Tyrese Proctor returning, how Jon Scheyer plays now, Coach K's availability, and a little bit of what to expect from him as a sophomore. It starts at around the 30:25 mark and runs about 12 minutes.

[KKDL19]

That interview was fun to watch. I always liked Mark Mitchell, but the more I get to hear him and watch him play, the more he becomes a favorite.

One thing that I started looking at is how the 2015 Nat Champ Team and this team have some similar things.
- Although Jones, Winslow and Okafor were all Fr, this year Duke returns 3 sophs where one is a PG, one is a combo forward and one is a big
- If Roach comes back, it would be like Cook as a Sr
- Team will have depth

I think if Duke does land a 5 from the portal too that this team could roll.

[Uncledrew2257]

Earlier today, Mark Mitchell spoke to The Field of 68 (Twitter, YouTube) about Kyle Filipowski and Tyrese Proctor returning, how Jon Scheyer plays now, Coach K's availability, and a little bit of what to expect from him as a sophomore. It starts at around the 30:25 mark and runs about 12 minutes.

Such a cool interview definitely worth a listen Sounds like the fellas know they will have to work to get their lofty goals and nothing will be given

[53n206]

Mark Mitchell gave such an outstanding interview. A cool guy, very intelligent, and going to be so fun to watch next year.

[cato]

Good questions from the interviewers and good answers by Mark. He was able to share some humor and insight without going too far or saying things he wishes he could get back.

I’m glad my first Brotherhood tshirt purchase was to recognize him coming back.

[evrim]

Earlier today, Mark Mitchell spoke to The Field of 68 (Twitter, YouTube) about Kyle Filipowski and Tyrese Proctor returning, how Jon Scheyer plays now, Coach K's availability, and a little bit of what to expect from him as a sophomore. It starts at around the 30:25 mark and runs about 12 minutes.

Thanks for sharing this. What a fun guy to listen to.

[SkyBrickey]

I’ve taken some heat in this board for comparing Mitchell to my all time favorite Dukie. Battier.

But I would bet many pies he has an outstanding Soph year. All those misses around the rim will be dunks or layups next season

[DukieInBrasil]

I’ve taken some heat in this board for comparing Mitchell to my all time favorite Dukie. Battier.

But I would bet many pies he has an outstanding Soph year. All those misses around the rim will be dunks or layups next season

from your fingertips to god's ears!
In all seriousness, i think that is likely the most likely and most dramatic improvement that we see from Mark next year. While he shot an acceptable 35% from 3 the past season, it was obvious that his form was sub-optimal and he finished the year shooting quite poorly from 3 during ACC and tournament play. I would expect that his 3FG% will perhaps improve some, but those missed bunnies were quite frequent and much more correctable than funky shooting style. Making those bunnies at a higher clip would a) improve his offensive efficiency immensely and b) improve his confidence about taking it to the rack. Although his defense was very good, especially for a Fr., i expect that he will be even more of a menace next year.

[Southgate0809]

I’ve taken some heat in this board for comparing Mitchell to my all time favorite Dukie. Battier.

But I would bet many pies he has an outstanding Soph year. All those misses around the rim will be dunks or layups next season

I'd love to see that. Looks like we have good reason to be hopeful about our outside shooting. I'd also like to see some guys who can get to the rim. Roach has little spurts where he'll blow by people for a nice layup, but it's never been consistent. Mitchell and Whitehead both seemed to be close to being guys that could drive and finish with a dunk, but they just never quite got there. At least one of them will get another season to make it happen.