At training camp at the Auerbach Center on Tuesday, Dillon Mitchell discussed the strides he continues to make as a shooter.
The former St. John's team captain has immense potential defensively. He was one of the NCAA's best perimeter defenders. Offensively, he can affect the game with his cutting and extending possessions at the other end. Now, he's working to evolve into a more impactful two-way player.
After the Boston Celtics selected him in the second round of this year's NBA Draft, they quickly emphasized shooting the ball on the way up. The benefits were immediate. Mitchell made one three in his season with the Red Storm. At Summer League, he knockeddown three of the eight shots he launched from behind the arc.
The progress report he shared on Tuesday revealed that the next step in his growth as a shooter is already underway.
Dillon Mitchell's next leap as a shooter: 'I can fix it myself'
In glimpses of the work before training camp practices, the six-foot-eight wing's often going through drills with the Celtics' director of player development, Craig Luschenat.
Summer League showed that he can quickly apply the advice he's getting. Now, tasks like taking shots from halfcourt are helping him to launch from a lower set and feel himself shooting on the way up.
Now, if Mitchell notices he's reverting to old habits, releasing the ball at the top of his jump, he can identify the problem and fix it himself.
"It's got to the point where I can fix it myself. If I feel during the workout, I may be going back to old habits or bad habits, I've gotten to the point where I'm able to fix it myself and make corrections," said Mitchell.
That's impressive progress that can quickly help him coursecorrect if shots aren't tickling the twine.
Craig Luschenat and the Celtics are raising Dillon Mitchell's ceiling
The Florida native has made commendable strides at an impressive rate. He feels confident in his shot and his form is becoming consistent. When it needs recalibrating, he recognizes the issue and can address that himself.
The former McDonald's All-American converting the part of his game that people had the most reservations about into a reliable trait, let alone a strength, would raise his ceiling.
He already has tremendous defensive instincts and uses his size and elite athleticism to star at that end and produce transition points. If he's scoring off cuts, generating offensive rebounds, and he's knocking down 3s, then, at a minimum, he'll blossom into a rotation fixture.
Mitchell is on a two-way deal with the Celtics. He figures to spend much of his rookie season with the organization's G League affiliate in Maine. Whether he's there or with the parent club, it will be fascinating to track how he fares from beyond the arc. So far, the results suggest his swingskill is trending toward becoming a strength.
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