Davion Mitchell helped lead Baylor to a national championship in his final year of college, and already has brought his infectious defensive energy to the Kings since the team made him the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Scott Drew, Mitchell's coach at Baylor, spoke with NBC Sports California's Kyle Draper about the Kings rookie and explained why his selflessness will make such an impact on the Kings.
"He's somebody that has a big heart, really cares about his teammates and somebody that everyone likes playing with because he puts others first," Drew told Draper.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Mitchell and the Baylor Bears defeated Houston in the Final Four before taking down Gonzaga in the national championship game.
RELATED: Kings' Mitchell to have fans choose first NBA Top Shot play
Drew tells Draper that Kelvin Sampson, the head coach at Houston, mentions Mitchell among the three best two-way college players he has ever coached against. The other two? Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Gary Payton and Jason Kidd.
That is high praise, but Mitchell has done nothing but win over his past few years as a player. He led Baylor to its first conference championship since 1950, its first-ever national championship, and even helped the Kings win the Las Vegas Summer League championship and was the co-MVP of the event.
NBA
So far through his first NBA week, Mitchell has demonstrated exactly what Drew describes about his former star.