Can Donovan Mitchell Be An MVP Favorite?

Donovan Mitchell has been turning a lot of heads this season, thanks in part to his spectacular play with the Utah Jazz. With that, many have said he could turn out for Rookie of the Year. But there are many others, especially those associated with the Jazz, could very well see him as the MVP candidate, even with the large field that's currently in that race.

So why do I bring this up? Well, I was at the Jazz game against the Spurs on Monday night and during most of the fourth quarter, Donovan Mitchell went up, helping his team come back from a 13-point deficit to win a close game. During most of that quarter, shouts of 'MVP, MVP' rained down on Mitchell. That got me to thinking: Does he have a shot, even with this big field?

Now, look. Donovan Mitchell is a truly fantastic player and he deserves, probably more than Sixers player Ben Simmons, to win that award. Right now, Mitchell is averaging 19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game this season. He's the leading score on a Utah team that needed that kind of firepower that Gordon Hayward ditched that team to join his old coach in Boston.

Mitchell also has a great big man in Rudy Gobert who can get him the ball and make wonders happen. In fact, his play this season has garnered him the support of many other players around the league, most notably DeMar DeRozan of the Raptors and even DeMarcus Cousins of the Pelicans, who is out for the season with an tear in his ACL.

Now, to go back to the original question: Is his support going to be enough to earn him possibly an underdog candidacy to be MVP? Perhaps, but it's highly doubtful that he's going to be MVP. First of all, he is indeed the MVP so far on that Jazz team that is still in it, despite being only ninth in the West and winning ten in a row. The West is a hard place to get into the playoff picture in, and he could very well lead them there. However, there are fourth other MVP candidates that are ahead of him in that race: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and even LeBron James, who are still making wonders despite their sluggish winter.

In my opinion, I don't think Donovan Mitchell will even get close to that. I actually don't think Kawhi will either because of his injuries. If I had to pick a candidate to win this, it would be James Harden because of the impact he has had this season both offensively and defensively and he's helping this Rockets team stay ahead of the pact in the tough Western Conference. Donovan Mitchell is not James Harden. He's on that level yet, but that doesn't mean he won't get there. He can, he has to work on his game, and he has to have that ability to win games for this team when they count on him. He's doing that this season, but not in the same way the other All-Stars are. They're still outside the playoff picture and right now, they're hanging out with all they got, and Mitchell has been a big part of that.

With that said, this season, he's the Jazz' MVP, but he's not the league's MVP and most likely won't be this season, not with the field that's in front of him. However, he's an exciting player and he's one of the biggest stars for the Jazz this season. Again, he'll probably get Rookie of the Year nods for his numbers, but it's rare to see a player win both Rookie of the Year and the MVP award, and I don't see Mitchell winning both this season, not with the way Harden has been playing in that category.

Mitchell will probably have to wait a little bit longer to potentially get those nods for MVP. However, he's doing what he can to keep this team in it, and he's a big part of the Jazz success this season. I'm looking forward to seeing him continue his great play this season and turning more heads in the league. Right now, he's earned a ROTY vote, but not an MVP vote. There's just too many names in the MVP field for him to get that nod.