CARDINALS

Silver lining of injuries? Mitchell's time at PG

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj

Donovan Mitchell steps forward and high fives imaginary teammates when he makes free throws after technical fouls.

It's become a habit of his, and he did it again Sunday when he scored two of his 28 points in 14th-ranked Louisville's 85-60 drubbing of NC State at the KFC Yum! Center, the third blowout win for the Cards in their last four games.

"I just have to make sure they get some love, too," Mitchell said of his fictitious pals. "It's just having fun."

That Mitchell is having so much fun while Louisville (18-4, 6-3 ACC) navigates life without starting point guard Quentin Snider (strained hip flexor) and now backup point guard Tony Hicks (fractured hand) has served as the most significant silver lining for the Cards over the past few games.

He is thriving as Louisville's primary ball-handler, a job so tough that Mitchell said "people don't understand." As a wing, Mitchell said, "You can be like, 'All right, (the point guard is) going to make a play.'"

Point guards don't have that luxury, and though Mitchell was upset several of his shot attempts for a career-high 30 points rimmed out – "I'm not going to lie; I wanted 30," he said – he said he was excited that he is starting to get a good feel for the position and all the responsibility that comes with it.

The sophomore guard finished Sunday's rout with eight rebounds, five assists and two steals, and after realizing he was "hunting shots," Mitchell said he focused on finding teammates for open looks and only trying shots in the rhythm of the offense.

"Donovan is getting a chance to play his normal position," U of L coach Rick Pitino said. "You always look for a silver lining in any injury, and he's got a chance to work on that, which I think will pay a huge dividend down the road."

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Mitchell has done most of his damage in the first halves of ACC games, and Sunday was no different. He is 33 of 63 (and 18 of 30 from 3-point range) in nine first halves of ACC contests this season, and he was 7 of 8 for 21 points against NC State.

His first-half eruption boosted his first-half scoring average in ACC games to 10.6 points.

"He's just coming in with an aggressive mindset and he's worked hard on his jump shot," Deng Adel, Mitchell's roommate, said. "It's good to see them go in. He's just making a lot of shots. He's helping us out a lot with rebounding, too."

The funny thing about those hot starts, Mitchell said, is that they are relatively new to him. He was not that kind of player growing up, and his dad, Donovan Sr., used to encourage his son to "be the one to set the tone" and force tempo.

Against NC State, and particularly Dennis Smith Jr., the freshman sensation who is projected as a top-three pick in this summer's NBA draft pick, Mitchell did just that. And that must have caught the attention of the 36 scouts from 25 NBA franchises credentialed for Sunday's game.

After the Wolfpack (14-8, 3-6) took a quick 6-0 lead, Mitchell reeled off 14 consecutive points for Louisville, which helped the Cards take a 14-9 lead they wouldn't relinquish. U of L led NC State for 36 minutes and 34 seconds.

"I took it upon myself to go out there and make the right plays and knock down shots," Mitchell said.

Now Louisville has a week to get Snider healthy. Snider, who was originally set to be back by the Virginia game on Feb. 6, said after the game that he was feeling better but that there was no set date for his return.

He can jog straight ahead but not side-to-side because that would aggravate his hip. He is also able to shoot set jump shots.

The anguish on Snider's face is clear as he watches his team warm up before games, the last four of which he has missed. But, the Louisville native said, it makes him feel a lot better when he sees Mitchell and company carry the load while he's out.

Louisville is 3-1 without Snider, averaging 94.3 points and a whopping 1.35 points per possession in the three wins. The Cards had 24 assists on 39 field goals against Pittsburgh and 19 on 30 against NC State.

Consider the opponents and their woeful defenses, of course, but those are encouraging figures for a team without its primary offensive maestro.

Mitchell has a lot to do with that.

"As long as we're winning I'm happy," Snider said. "Everybody's doing a great job ... Donovan, at the point guard spot, is really stepping up and doing a great job."

Louisville's Donavan Mitchell looks to shoot against NC State's Omer Yurtseven. Mitchell lead all scorers with 28 points. Jan. 29, 2017.