When the Boston Celtics drafted St. John’s wing Dillon Mitchell in the second round of last month’s NBA Draft, I did what every other person who almost exclusively watches the NBA. I loaded up sports reference and took a look at Mitchell’s senior stats.
More than anything, his 6.7% three-point percentage jumped off the screen.
Defensive menace, athletic freak, good playmaker
— Sam LaFrance (@SamLaFranceNBA) June 25, 2026
What’s the catch?
6.7% from three this season https://t.co/QyI9icfl1a pic.twitter.com/4dsADvMK7B
If there’s one thing about playing in the NBA, and specifically for the Celtics, it’s that three-point shooting is important. It’s not essential. You can succeed without being a sniper, but it’s not easy. Mitchell thrives in just about every other area; athleticism, defense, passing, IQ, etc.
Even without a consistent jumper, there’s reason to believe that Mitchell can impact winning with his versatile set of skills. With one, he could be something special as a second-round pick.
“I've always been confident,” he told reporters in Las Vegas Monday. “I always just try to make winning plays. So if there's some teams that I'm on where I don't need to be shooting, I need to try to get to other things. That's what I'm gonna do. In this case, they want me to be comfortable and confident, and shoot the ball along with all the other things I do as well.”
Dillon Mitchell's jump shot looks real
Through three games at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, it seems that the 22-year-old and Boston’s player development staff have figured out his mechanics a bit.
“Yeah, I think so,” he said of whether or not he feels like his jumper has changed since arriving in Boston. “I think as far as just shooting on the way up, and then just having confidence in it.”
The second thing I did when the Celtics drafted Mitchell was watch some tape of his time at St. John’s -- I had to see what his shot looked like. Let me tell you, his mechanics are far smoother now, in July, than they were this past season.
It’s clear that he has and continues to put in the work.
Mitchell made three of his four jump shots in Monday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He shot one of two from deep, and then hit two mid-range shots in spots where he was forced to create his own offense.
He did not look like a player whose shooting ability should’ve caused him to fall into the second round. Mitchell recognizes the opportunities when they come to him, doesn’t force, and confidently takes shots in stride.
I might be drunk on Summer League Kool-Aid, but he looked a little like James Harden with that lefty jumper.
Both Mitchell and first-round pick Chris Cenac Jr. have been working with Boston’s coaching staff and sharpening their respective games over the past few weeks.
“I mean, me and Chris landed in Boston after the draft, and I mean, we got straight to work,” he shared. “That says a lot about the culture and what they're looking out of me and Chris, just developing us, trying to get everything they can out of us. And I mean, it's just been great as far as development.”
Putting in the work and building confidence go hand in hand, obviously. But that confidence doesn’t stop internally. It spreads and reaches everyone in the locker room. Players in Boston know that if they show consistent work ethic, they’ll earn the trust of their coaches.
“Everybody on the bench has confidence in me shooting the ball, and it's not a lot we were able to do before summer league,” Mitchell shared. “But it's just as far as just confidence and tweaking the little things [it’s been helpful]. After summer league, when we have a lot of time, and I get back to Boston, we'll definitely even work on it a lot more.”
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