Donovan Mitchell led the Utah Jazz to a 129-118 win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night. Despite recording 36 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and becoming the fastest player to 600 made 3-pointers in NBA history, Shaquille O'Neal is not convinced the rising star will be a top player in the NBA.
During halftime, Shaq said that he doesn't think Mitchell is a superstar player and would have to be a second or third option on a championship team. Shaq directly expressed his opinion to Mitchell during his post-game interview.
"I said tonight that you are one of my favorite players, but you don't have what it takes to get to the next level," O'Neal said to Mitchell. "I said it on purpose because I wanted you to hear it. What do you have to say about that?"
Mitchell responded with, "Aight... That's it," before claiming that he's been proving people wrong his entire basketball career. Shaq's co-host, Kenny Smith, took over from there and provided more context to the Inside The NBA cast's halftime discussion, stating that the crew was discussing what it would take for Mitchell to take his game to the next level.
"I hate to take a win like this and make it about what they said about me," Mitchell said when asked about Shaq's remarks. "Look at how we played, look at how we guarded. I'm happy."
Mitchell's teammate, Mike Conley, expressed his disappointment in O'Neal's opinion and highlighted his teammate's age and the fact that he's improved every year.
"I've been a big fan of Don's and seeing the way he's grown, even before he was here," Conley said. "I don't know how you can make a statement like that regarding his progress at such a young age. He's gotten better every year."
Donovan Mitchell is averaging 24.3 points and is shooting at a 40.8 percent clip from 3-point range, which is a career-best for the 24-year-old. He's also averaging career highs in assists and rebounds.
