Not long after Matt Mitchell arrived on campus as a freshman, members of the Los Angeles Clippers came to San Diego to prepare for training camp. They were playing a pickup game at San Diego State’s JAM Center practice facility one afternoon and needed a 10th.
Mitchell and a few teammates had finished a workout and poked their heads in the gym on their way out. Did one of them want to play?
“I jumped when they asked, ran downstairs to get my shoes and ran back up to play,” Mitchell said. “I hadn’t stretched or anything, and I didn’t care. I just wanted to play with them and get that feel. I always dreamed of being an NBA player.
“Just being able to play with them in our facility and understand the pace of the game at that level was really great. I don’t think I was overwhelmed. It was something that I really wanted. There weren’t any butterflies or anything. It was a moment of truth.”
Mitchell moved closer to that dream — and truth — Sunday, when the 6-foot-6 junior wing submitted paperwork for early entry into the NBA Draft a few hours before the deadline. He didn’t hire an agent, meaning he can return for his senior season if he withdraws by June 3.
The dream, he admits, mostly likely will wait a year.
“I was definitely going back and forth on the decision to put my name in,” Mitchell said. “But at the end of the day, I felt it was the best thing to do for myself and help myself in the future. All I’m looking to get out of this is to get feedback about what I need to get better at, what they’re looking for me to do better next season.
“And if they do open for workouts, under God’s graces, I would take workouts if asked. That’s all I’m looking to get out of it. I don’t think I’m looking to leave this year.”
The problem, as he sees it, is less ability than opportunity. The coronavirus shutdowns have included the NBA season and the pre-draft process. The draft combine in late May in Chicago is in jeopardy, as are the flurry of individual and group workouts that normally have prospects traversing the country over the next few weeks.
Mitchell, a three-year starter and first team all-conference selection by the Mountain West coaches, doesn’t appear on any of the leading mock drafts. To move up, then, he’d need to play against those who do — more chances like he got three years ago at the JAM Center, where, according to some sources, he acquitted himself well. Or like Feb. 1, when he dropped 24 second-half points on Utah State with Clippers players and management at Viejas Arena for Kawhi Leonard’s jersey retirement.
It’s a sentiment echoed by SDSU coach Brian Dutcher, who said he encouraged Mitchell to dip his toe in NBA waters even if he’s leaning toward a return for his senior season. Why not take free advice? Why not craft your summer workouts based on expert evaluations? Why not speak with NBA coaches and scouts, even if it’s by Zoom?
“What else do they have to do right now?” Dutcher said of NBA teams. “All they’re doing is sitting at home watching film of college players. Matt might be new to some of them, and now that his name is in there, they might be like, ‘Let’s take a closer look at this guy.’ “
In the meantime, Mitchell continues preparing as best he can with coronavirus restrictions, running hills and shooting on outdoor hoops. He dropped 20 pounds last summer from the low 260s as a sophomore and has set a target weight of 225 to 230 for next season.
He doesn’t expect to wait until June 3 to make a decision.
“I’ll continue to work out and get my body right,” he said. “I’ll wait for any calls, maybe some interviews. And if workouts do come, I’ll take the workouts. … I think I would need workouts in order to be able to get drafted, but I don’t think it’s anything that’s out of my reach. If they do open the workouts, I just might take some people by surprise.
“I think my skill level is good enough to play at the NBA level.”
———
©2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune
Visit The San Diego Union-Tribune at www.sandiegouniontribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.