Agreed. I think a large portion of that will be feeding DM's desire. The kid wants to be the best but he has no discernible ego beyond his confidence. If you go back and look at his history, he worked to earn everything through sheer determination and work ethic. Patino never saw someone develop his jumpshot so much in a summer during his four decades of coaching. DM has a gravity about him that draws fans and players around him. I don't remember a player like him being in Utah...well, ever really. Even with Stockton and Malone, it didn't feel the same. The team accepted him without the usual rookie stigma and gelled around him. He was thrust into such an unusual role as the team's primary scorer and excelled beyond any expectation. The kid has the respect of players 10 years older than him because he's just that damn good. The scariest attribute of DM is he sees the game play-by-play rather than game-by-game. His mind IS the weapon. Everything else is just an accessory.
But he never let it get to his head. Not once.
DM and Quin's job got easier and more difficult at the same time. The future was felt kind of bleak after Hayward left, but Donovan surpassed Hayward in a season. Hayward took seven seasons to do what he did. But he's a number two option at best. Mitchell is a true legit option and will be a top 5 player year after next, if not sooner. More or less, he accelerated any timeline we had. But there is no reason Utah cannot build around that. Lindsey was smart enough to not blow our cap for years after it expanded in 2016 and he's savvy enough to know what moves will pay off and won't. Quin is the type of coach who will have the respect of his players because they trust and respect him. Mitchell's gravity will be a huge portion of keeping talent in the 801, which may in turn keep him here.
There maybe a day that he leaves for whatever reason, but if that day comes, we'll be better for the ride I think.
