July 6, 2014

Tony Mitchell - Mitchell only played 79 NBA minutes last season, but they were 79 good ones. You shouldn't extrapolate much from such limited time, but it's fun to do so, so why not. He barely got a chance at the big league level due to the continued mandatory persistence of the Josh Smith thing, and spent some time in the D-League. Down there, the reviews are mixed, averaging roughly 7 points and 7 rebounds in 23 minutes a game, also averaging a block and two turnovers per game. Mitchell is 22 now and cannot stay raw forever, and the Pistons are facing a bit of a roster pinch. He may especially feel it given that, as we see here, Stan Van Gundy seems to really want a stretch four, and Mitchell is not in. Nevertheless, his length, athleticism, rebounding and rim protectioon are still intriguing facets, even if his develop is going very slowly.

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July 8, 2013

Tony Mitchell

Mitchell lumbered through one of the most dramatic sophomore slumps seen for a while, seeing his numbers decline in every single statistical category (save for 0.1 of a steal), most notably going from 10.3rpg to 8.5rpg and 57% FG to 44% FG. This all happened while his minutes increased from 29 to 33 per game. He shot 44% from three as a rookie, and apparently fell in love with the idea of being a shooter, taking too many jumpshots, thus explaining the field goal percentage drop. He can drive and post, to a degree, but seemingly wants to do neither, and the rebounding decline seems similarly apathetic. Mitchell has all the physical tools to be a defender, rebounder and face-up scorer, but he's only apparently interested in one of the three.

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