West Conf. Semis Game 4: Houston Rockets 100 - 87 Utah Jazz - 5 Talking Points

#2 Donovan Mitchell was trying too hard in a hopeless cause

Mitchell had his moments but was too predictable

For a team with such limited options as the Utah Jazz, the role of a scorer is doubly important in the playoffs. In the first 3 games of this series, Mitchell had performed to less than his ability, averaging 16 points on a toxic 32% field goal conversion.

He broke through that 20-point barrier this time around, but ultimately, his limitations are getting exposed on a nightly basis by a team which is playing great defense against him as a unit.

Expectations from the rookie have been sky-high thus far, which is why the ordinarily stellar box score stat line of 25 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals is tempered by his torrid shooting figures of 8-of-24 from the field (33.3%) and 2-of-7 from 3-point territory.

Mitchell did make all 7 of his free throw attempts, but this series has demonstrated the need for him to add more guile to his game.

Harden and CP3 at the other end have been masters of change of speed and direction off the dribble, and Mitchell would do well to pick up cues from these two. It is mainly in his driving game that he needs to introduce a little more sauce and spice and add a couple of hesitation/deceleration moves to his skillset.

It was his predictability that allowed Capela to block him twice in under a minute in the closing stages. The two had had a faceoff earlier on in the 4th quarter, and that possibly fueled Capela's animosity towards the rookie - Capela wagged the finger in Mitchell's face after swatting away the first of his two on Mitchell in quick succession. He fouled out shortly after this in anticlimactic fashion.