Okay, for real, if Donovan Mitchell is gonna win ROY of the Year then he needs to get more triple-doubles. Ben Simmons gets triple-doubles, and he’s gonna win if things don’t change right now. Problem is, Mitchell doesn’t have a game with more than 10 rebounds OR assists this season, but that’s okay. We can make this work.
First thing he has to do is steal rebounds from Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors. Those seem like two chill dudes, so they’d probably be okay with getting rebounds snatched directly out of their hands if it meant one of their teammates acquires some hardware. Side note: does anyone know what the ROY trophy even looks like? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it. Anyway, this is the easy part. If Westbrook can statpad his way to 10 boards every game, Mitchell can do it too.
The second thing is harder: assists can’t be statpadded easily. If Rubio stays injured for an extended period, that would help. Mitchell needs the ball in his hands for this to work. Can’t get assists if you don’t have the ball, that’s what they always say and I think they’re right. If he really wants 10 assists per game, my best idea is that he runs pick-and-pops with Rudy Gobert. Teams won’t guard Gobert in the midrange, so if they do this approximately 30 times a game, that should give him the few extra assists he needs. Again, Gobert would be down with this, because he wants to shoot jumpers just like every NBA player. He just needs the green light.
I think this an actionable plan for Mitchell to follow. Spend some practice time over the All-Star break implementing it, then unleash him for the final months of the season. Can’t go wrong.