Three things to know about Dillon Mitchell, the Celtics’ second-round pick
The Celtics added one of the Big East’s best defenders Wednesday when they selected St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell with the 40th pick in the NBA Draft.
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The 6-foot-8-inch, 210-pound lefthander initially drew comparisons to Kelly Oubre and was expected to be a “one-and-done” player in college.
Mitchell, however, ended up playing for three college programs, eventually landing with former Celtics coach Rick Pitino at St. John’s.
Mitchell is not much of an outside shooting threat, but his physical attributes kept him on the Celtics’ radar for years.
Here are three things to know about the Celtics’ newest draft pick.
He was a consensus top-10 recruit and Jordan Brand Classic MVP
ESPN ranked Mitchell fourth nationally in the class of 2022, ahead of future pros Brandon Miller, Kel’el Ware, and Gradey Dick.
Celtics forward Jordan Walsh was also in that class, ranking No. 11. Like Walsh, Mitchell’s calling card is defense.
The Celtics took Mitchell and Walsh in the second round of their respective drafts. Mitchell is taller and scouts rave about his athleticism, but he has a lot of work to do on offense in order to earn consistent minutes in the NBA.
Walsh is an example of how hard work can yield results. He entered the league as a 22 percent 3-point shooter but shot 38 percent from beyond the arc this season.
Mitchell played in the McDonald’s All-American Game and was named MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic after scoring 18 points. However, he’s a career 48.9 percent free throw shooter and scoring will likely be a struggle in the NBA, at least initially.
Outside shooting is a weakness
While Mitchell is a rugged defender, don’t expect him to start bombing from 3-point range.
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He shot 6.7 percent from 3-point range at St. John’s last season. He is on the floor to wreak havoc on defense.
However, last season showed that he can impact a game without constantly needing the ball in his hands. He averaged 7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. His leaping ability allows him to finish efficiently around the rim. He’s was a 59 percent shooter from the field in college, though he averaged fewer than six shot attempts per game.
His game is about energy, defense, and making a few timely buckets when he gets open looks close to the rim.
He found basketball ‘purpose’ playing for Pitino
Mitchell began his college career at Texas, where he spent two seasons. He transferred to Cincinnati and spent a year there, before finishing his career playing for Pitino at St. John’s.
Mitchell helped St. John’s reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999, where it lost to Duke.
Vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren said the Celtics had been tracking Mitchell for a while and were considering trading up for him, but ended up landing him at No. 40.
“Dillon’s leaping ability almost quite literally jumped off the court,” Zarren said. “He had a great game. He was really quite raw back then, but his athleticism stood out.
“It took him a few years to sort of grow from there. We followed him another year at Texas and at Cincinnati, and then this past year at St. John’s. I don’t know if you guys know the coach there, but he can really coach, and I think Dillon sort of found more purpose there. He became one of the best perimeter defenders in college basketball.”
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