Height: 6 Feet 2 Inches
Weight: 205 Pounds
Wingspan: 6 Feet 5 Inches
League: NCAA
Draft Age: 22.79
Draft Projection: Late Lottery
After one season at Auburn, one redshirt year, two seasons in Waco, and a stellar 2021 NCAA Tournament, soon-to-be 23-year-old junior Davion Mitchell finds himself set to be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. Though his path to professional basketball is not the most common, his outstanding play in 2020-2021 turned the heads of NBA scouts in a big way.
Though the majority of his draft stock lies in his ability to play great perimeter defense, Mitchell can do more than lock up opposing ball handlers. He improved his three-point shot immensely from his sophomore to junior season and proved to be a great secondary ball-handler alongside fellow potential first-round selection, Jared Butler. Executives will certainly note this prior success, as basketball is becoming more small-ball centered.
With age, though, comes limitations. Mitchell is set to turn 23 at the start of the 2021-2022 NBA campaign, which will without a doubt be a turn-off for a lot of rebuilding teams in the lottery searching for young talent. However, a fringe-playoff team looking to win now could certainly take a swing at a player who could potentially help them win faster than a younger prospect could.
What we see in Davion Mitchell now is more than likely, for the most part, the player he is going to be in the NBA. He could thrive in a reserve role where he could be utilized in defensive situations, though it is still to be seen how his limited size will affect him on that end as a pro. Nonetheless, Mitchell should carve out a nice NBA career as a potentially high-end role player somewhere.