Davion Mitchell says Erik Spoelstra did more than draw up plays for him in Miami - he helped put his game, and his confidence, back together.
In an interview reflecting on his time with the Heat, Mitchell described a stretch when he was struggling mentally and didn’t feel right physically, and he credited Spoelstra with understanding what he was dealing with while still pushing him onto the floor. Mitchell said:
“The beginning of last year I was going through a lot mentally…I didn’t feel like I was in the best shape…Spo understood that and he respected everything I do…mentally I was so messed up last year in the summer time that it was so hard to be myself…Spo still put me out there and made me grow as a player…he kind of me made me confident in a way - he just believed in me."
That trust appears to have changed the direction of Mitchell’s career. Before landing in Miami, he had spent the first three and a half years of his career bouncing from the Sacramento Kings to the Toronto Raptors, and the momentum was heading the wrong way. He never seemed to settle into a comfortable role or find a real home.
The Heat changed that. Once Miami brought him in, Mitchell got a fresh start under a coach willing to invest in him, and the results showed quickly. In his first full season with the Heat, he averaged nine points and a career-high seven assists per game while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range.
Now Mitchell is getting ready for his first season alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, and there’s reason to think his best stretch may still be ahead of him.
What Mitchell’s experience also underscores is the kind of coach Spoelstra is beyond the clipboard. His reputation isn’t built only on schemes and in-game adjustments. The way he handles players, especially the part that can’t be measured in a box score, is a huge part of why he’s so respected around the league.
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Mitchell also made clear he still values Thompsons shooting reputation, even with the veteran coming off a down statistical season, and he pushed back on any suggestion that V.J. Edgecombe is simply the better pure shooter. For the Heat, that matters because the conversation around the roster keeps circling back to how many different players can bend a defense with the three ball, and the next round of regular-season meetings with Cleveland should only sharpen that debate. [Read more 🡒]