Why Davion Mitchell Year 3 leap is pivotal to Kings’ 2023-24 success – NBC

The Kings had a historic run during the 2022-23 NBA season, but their true test begins next season.

Sacramento changed the narrative about Kings basketball. The All-NBA pairing of Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox became the hottest duo in town. Keegan Murray gave fans something to be excited about now and in the long run. New faces like Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk provided a joyous spark that made it easy for fans to sport a band-aid on their face or headband in support.

Collectively, the team made magic.

But it wasn’t enough. Their first postseason appearance in 17 years began and ended in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. While they gave the then-defending champion Golden State Warriors a fight, the Kings’ storybook season came to a bittersweet close.

Now, as they look to open a new chapter and build off that momentum, it will be on each player to make individual improvements that will translate to team success in the 2023-24 season.

No player has understood that assignment more than Davion Mitchell.

Mitchell, entering his third NBA season, has approached the offseason with a vengeance. He took last season personally after a significant decrease in his playing time. Instead of complaining and moping around, though, the 24-year-old guard took matters into his own hands this summer.

As a rookie, Mitchell averaged 11.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 27.7 minutes played. In his sophomore season, those numbers slipped to 5.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 18.1 minutes played. But that isn’t where his game shines brightest.

His “Off-Night” nickname stems from his defensive prowess, something any team would die for. But he’s the best defender on a team that strives off its historically great offense. While a player’s commitment to defense typically keeps them on the court, it kept Mitchell off the court in big moments last season.

That’s because Sacramento flourishes off spacing for Fox or Sabonis to find and connect with an outside shooter – an area of Mitchell’s game that could use some improvement.

Last season, Mitchell learned that the hard way.

While Sacramento’s defense improved with Mitchell on the floor last season, specifically going from a 111.8 defensive rating to to 115.4, per NBA Stats, its offensive rating was 114.4 with him on the floor compared to 118.1 with him off.

Shooting the 3-ball at an efficient clip remains the top priority for Mitchell as he enters Year 3. He’s even working on his shot with the man who trains the greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history. And as a career 31.7 percent 3-point shooter (25.9 percent in the playoffs), it’s been a point of emphasis over the last four months after he acknowledged it’s what kept him off the court last season.

“I think every year, something that’s always being talked about is developing my jump shot,” Mitchell said last month on a special edition of the “#ThisLeague Uncut” podcast….