Point guard Davion Mitchell is set to re-sign with the Miami Heat on a two-year, $24 million contract. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report.
After being acquired from the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline, Mitchell averaged 10.3 points, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 30 games for Miami. He also made 44.7 percent of his threes.
Mitchell may be coming on as a respectable shooter in the league. He made 36.1 percent of his attempts in 2023-24 and 39.8 percent of his threes across both the Heat and Raptors last season.
At 26 years old, the Heat will believe there is still more room to grow.
The defensive side of the ball is where Mitchell has made a name for himself. In fact, he’s made a nickname for himself in “Off Night.” With great strength for his position and speed, he’s an extremely difficult defender to elude.
He also complements Tyler Herro well. Mitchell is best suited off-ball and mitigates some of the defensive concerns for Herro.
Securing Mitchell’s services for just under the mid-level is a fair bit of business for the Heat. The length of contract provides flexibility for both sides, too.
Mitchell’s Path To Improvement Moving Forward
The playmaking aspect of Mitchell’s game is probably what he will most want to improve. Specifically, the passing. Mitchell is someone who misses shooting pockets often and, frankly, can make some wild passes that sail out of bounds, too.
While Mitchell can get to the rim pretty consistently, he will also want to work on finishing when he gets there. Last season, he shot 54 percent within four feet of the basket with the Raptors and 62 percent with the Heat.
The biggest thing is keeping the three-point stroke going. As one of the best guard defenders in the league, he becomes much more viable on the court when he can knock down the outside shot.
Throw in some better playmaking and finishing around the basket and the Heat will have a steal.
After missing out on Kevin Durant, it will be interesting to see how much more activity remains this summer.
