Despite his low-scoring averages, Mitchell was one of the best players at Summer League and he was rewarded for it.
Davion Mitchell was named Co-MVP of the 2021 NBA Las Vegas Summer League along with Brooklyn Nets rookie Cameron Thomas. In addition to being named Co-MVP, Mitchell also made it onto the All Summer League First Team.
Mitchell averaged 10.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in Summer League while shooting 42.3% from the field and 47.1% on 3-pointers. Mitchell had his contested pull-up three working for the majority of the summer league and did a nice job orchestrating the Sacramento offense.
While Mitchell showed some solid things offensively, make no mistake he was given the Co-MVP for what he did on the other side of the ball.
Mitchell seemingly locked up every player he was matched up with, most notably James Bouknight in the Kings’ first game and Payton Pritchard in the championship game. Mitchell had some viral defensive highlights against both players that made the rounds on Twitter. Mitchell’s quick feet and ability to get through screens and made Pritchard, Bouknight and whoever else he got matched up with’s life a living hell.
The Kings drew a lot of ire and ridicule from their own fanbase and national pundits for selecting Mitchell at No. 9, despite their already crowded backcourt, but that decision is off to a good start. Questions remain for exactly how Mitchell fits and progresses with Sacramento’s crowded backcourt going forward, but if he continues to help the team win and earn hardware then the partnership between Mitchell and the Kings could go a long way.