One unexpected Dillon Mitchell stat points to huge upside for Celtics

When the Celtics drafted Dillon Mitchell with the 40th overall pick, there was plenty of excitement about all the things he does well on the basketball court, but every comment seemed to come with a major caveat: he can’t shoot. We heard how he’s an incredible athlete, an elite defender, a connective playmaker, and so much more. But he never learned how to shoot.

And it’s not like this was just a small sample size issue or something to do with specific fit or team needs. Mitchell played four years of college for three different schools, and his jumper simply never became a part of his game, despite playing as a wing, mostly on the perimeter, and often with the ball in his hands.

Still, he does enough things well to get drafted in the top 40, and he has already flashed a lot of those skills in the Celtics’ two summer league games. But one other thing he has notably flashed is a bit of shot-making. In the team’s second game in Las Vegas, Mitchell scored 24 points, including two made threes on five attempts.

Mitchell hit more 3s in one summer league game than in 37 at St. John's

That may not seem like much, but it’s actually very eye-opening considering he made just one single three-pointer in his entire senior season at St. John’s, where he went 1-for-15 from beyond the arc across 37 games. So, it’s not a bad sign at all that he doubled his output for an entire season in one summer league game.

Overall, there’s still plenty of work to do. Mitchell has a sort of awkward slingshot-style over-the-head release that takes a while to get off. It’s not pretty, but it doesn’t look broken either. The fact that he’s stepping right in and letting it fly with confidence is a great sign, and in the capable hands of the Celtics’ developmental staff, there are definitely reasons for optimism.

It’s probably too ambitious to imagine he’ll ever develop into a true threat from the outside, but just getting to a baseline competence would be massive. He’s such a raw athlete and a great defender with a clear knack for the game and an impact on winning. You can tell just from watching him in Vegas that he’s a perfect fit for how the team wants to play, as showcased by his 7 offensive boards and 6 steals on Sunday.

If he can just knock down his open shots, there’s a real path to playing time in the NBA for Mitchell. He’s so good at the other things, it’s not hard to see him slotting right in for some energy minutes off the bench. But if teams leave him open, forcing Boston to play 4-on-5 and he’s not able to make the defense pay, it’s going to be a tough sell.

The early results are promising, but let’s not overreact to a couple of summer league shots. Hopefully, he’ll continue to put in the work, continue to develop, and the Boston coaching staff will be able to help him make some tweaks and get his shot to a respectable level. If so, the Celtics may have gotten an absolute steal in round two, but if not, he may be playing overseas within a few years.

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