Much like Davion Mitchell’s entire career with the Sacramento Kings, the 2023-24 season was a weird one for the third-year guard out of Baylor. Mitchell has always felt like a Mike Brown player. Coach Brown has spent much of his tenure in Sacramento talking about defense, toughness, and what the Kings need to do to improve on that end. Mitchell, in theory, represents a lot of what Brown has been trying to get his team to play like. And despite that, Mitchell has had a difficult time earning Brown’s trust (and playing time). I think Davion took a step closer to carving out a real NBA role for himself this season, but it still wasn’t perfect.
If we can rewind to the 2023 playoff series against the Warriors for a moment, Davion’s career in Sacramento was at a bit of a crossroads coming out of Game 7. Mitchell, again, in theory, is one of the better matchups for Steph Curry on this roster. Monte McNair drafted Davion 9th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft because of his defense, and here the Kings were, in a playoff series against an all-time scoring guard, and Mitchell was essentially benched for Terence Davis in a do-or-die game. I came out of that series with an overwhelming feeling of well, if the Kings aren’t going to trust Davion in this moment, what is he here for?
Couple Davion’s Game 7 benching with his slow start to the 2023-24 NBA season, and I thought his run with the organization was just about over. Through January, the first 36 games of the season, Mitchell was repeatedly benched, picked up a few DNPs, and his minutes were very sporadic. From February 1st through the end of the season, his final 36 games, he was on an offensive heater and one of the more consistent Kings contributors.
Mitchell’s first 36 games: 12.5 MPG, .377 FG%, .269 3P%, 1.0 REB, 1.7 AST, 0.2 STL, 3.6 PPG
Mitchell’s last 36 games: 18.1 MPG, .503 FG%, .429 3P%, 1.7 REB, 2.0 AST, 0.3 STL, 6.9 PPG
I’m going to be honest here – I don’t know what to make of those splits, and I still don’t know what the future holds for Davion in Sacramento, but he’s in a better position heading into the offseason now than he was last year.
It sounds too simplistic, but that 3P% really is everything for him in his current role with the Kings. You’ll often see Davion listed as Sacramento’s backup point guard, but that really isn’t the case. Malik Monk is the primary ball-handler for the bench unit. Davion’s best opportunity to make an offensive impact for this squad is rarely with the ball in his hands, but if he can a trusted shooter, that opens up the door for more playing time considerably.
Off Night is a good defensive player, but his inability to contribute offensively has been his downfall. For 36 games, we saw Davion display a legitimate offensive NBA skill consistently for the first time: shooting.
Is this the new normal for Davion, or was it just a prolonged hot streak? Does he factor into the Kings’ plans moving forward, or was his run to end the season just enough to give him some positive trade value, and McNair is going to move him this summer? These are the questions I can’t answer, but they are the ones I’ll be thinking about all offseason.
