Los Angeles Lakers greats joined by Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell joined some great company, all former Los Angeles Lakers, with his performance in Game 6 against the Oklahoma City Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers have a storied playoff history. While they haven’t been able to add to that history in recent years, it was brought back into the spotlight recently courtesy of Utah Jazz rookie guard, Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell took the NBA by storm this season. He was the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, but not many people expected much from the Jazz this season. When Gordon Hayward signed with the Boston Celtics in free agency, people wrote off the Jazz. No one told that to Mitchell.

Mitchell helped pick up the slack with Hayward leaving. In his rookie season, Mitchell averaged 20.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is right there, along with Ben Simmons, for the Rookie of the Year Award.

Mitchell helped lead Utah to the playoffs. The Jazz was an unexpected participant in the 2018 NBA Playoffs, earning the No. 5 seed in a loaded Western Conference. Utah drew the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that is built pretty much the exact opposite of the Jazz.

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Utah has zero All-Stars on their roster. Oklahoma City has three superstars, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. In a series with that kind of firepower, it was Mitchell who was the most consistent performer.

Donovan picked things up even more in the postseason. Donovan averaged 28.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He was as a driving force in the Jazz pulling off the upset, seeding-wise, over the Thunder.

Mitchell really picked up his performance in the closeout Game 6 in Utah. Despite point guard Ricky Rubio going down with an injury, Mitchell willed his team to victory.

Mitchell scored 38 points in the final game against the Thunder. In the process, he became just the fourth rookie in NBA history to score at least 35 points in a playoff series-clinching win. He joins elite company with Lakers legends Magic Johnson, Walt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Johnson’s 42 points came in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in 1980. Abdul-Jabbar scored his 46 in a first-round clinching win over the Philadelphia 76ers in 1970. Chamberlian poured in his 53 against the Syracuse Nationals in a first-round victory 1960.

Coincidentally enough, Philadelphia was involved in each of the first three instances. Also, all three players eventually played with the Los Angeles Lakers as well. Could that be a sign of things to come for Mitchell later on in his career?

That won’t be something that can happen for plenty of years. Mitchell is undoubtedly concentrating on his current team, as they have a tall task in the second round. Mitchell and the Jazz will be taking on the Houston Rockets, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and owners of the best record in the NBA this season.

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Utah is going to need some more heroics from Mitchell in the second round if they are going to pull off their second upset of this postseason.