Donovan Mitchell is eerily similar to a former member of the Memphis Grizzlies

It may be time to slow down on the Donovan Mitchell hype train. After all, players do not always improve the way they should if the history of the Memphis Grizzlies is any indication.

Donovan Mitchell is a bonified rookie phenom. He has been so good that salty Utah sportswriters have written about how he is so much better than Gordon Hayward. If they redrafted the 2017 NBA draft, Mitchell would likely be the first pick. People believe that he could be the next Kobe Bryant.

So why am I still skeptical?

O.J. Mayo: The First Donovan Mitchell

As soon as O.J. Mayo became a member of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009, people expected him to become an all-star. And during his rookie season, he didn’t let anyone doubt that expectation. He gave the Memphis Grizzlies hope that they had finally find a superstar around which to build.

Now, O.J. Mayo is a safari hunter. Suffice to say that his career did not go the way that many hoped.

At 6’3, Mayo was an undersized shooting guard, but he was still sensational during his rookie season. However, he didn’t improve at all over the next few seasons, and he became nothing more than a bench scorer after leaving Memphis.

This certainly doesn’t have to be the future for the Utah Jazz’s own 6’3 shooting guard Donovan Mitchell. However, the similarities between Mitchell and Mayo during their rookie years are striking. Mitchell is currently averaging 20.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists, while shooting 43% from the field and 34% from three. When Mayo was a rookie, he averaged 18.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists, while shooting 44% from the field and 38% from three.

So the comparison is definitely not as crazy as it  may seem on the surface.

But…

There are definitely clear differences between the two players. Even though he is an undersized player, Donovan Mitchell is an excellent defender, while defense was a major weakness for Mayo. Mitchell has also already had a far greater impact on his team than Mayo did during his rookie season.

Do I really think that Mitchell’s career will have the same arc as Mayo’s? No, I do not. I, like nearly everyone else, believe that he will likely become a perennial all-star. Mitchell also doesn’t have the same off-the-court baggage that lowered the ceiling of Mayo’s career. As far as we know, Mitchell has an incredible work ethic to match his immense talent.

However, O.J. Mayo proves that there is no such thing as a sure thing in the NBA, even when a player finds incredible success at the beginning of his career. And as someone whose game is highly similar to Mayo’s, that would be wise to remember for Donovan Mitchell.

Hopefully, the Utah Jazz won’t find themselves in the same situation that the Memphis Grizzlies did all those years ago.