SALT LAKE CITY — Donovan Mitchell can write, too?

OK, maybe that's not a surprise after a season in which Mitchell did everything for the Utah Jazz on the court and was the go-to guy for media interviews, teammate laughs and more off the court. But with his writing debut for The Player's Tribune on Tuesday, Mitchell made a statement: The Jazz will be back.

In his piece, Mitchell describes the rock-bottom disappointment he felt after the loss in Houston in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, writing: "And that’s why it was so tough getting off of that plane in Salt Lake. It’s like, we had a goal … and we fell short of that. So as far as we were concerned, we had let this city down."

But that's when things changed for Mitchell: as soon as he got off the plane. That's when about a hundred Jazz fans came to the airport at about 1:30 a.m. MT to cheer Mitchell and the rest of the Jazz after their season came to a close.

Y’all fans showing up like you did — it’s hard to put into words how much it meant to me, in that moment. How much I needed that. And how much I’m going to take that into this off-season, and use it as fuel to get better. To get Win the West better. To get Bring a Championship to Utah better.

That's what Mitchell makes clear is his goal — not eventually, but as soon as next season. He wraps up the piece by saying, "Hopefully the next time we hang out at the airport, we’ll bring a trophy." With Mitchell, it even seems possible.

Mitchell was at the Jazz's practice facility on Tuesday, watching the workout and catching up with the organization. Since the season's end, Mitchell has been traveling the world, going back home to New York, then going overseas with Ekpe Udoh to the Euroleague championship game.

Locals at Jazz workout Tuesday

The Jazz hosted a local-heavy workout, featuring Sedrick Barefield and Tyler Rawson from Utah, Dayon Goodman from Westminster College, Kenneth Ogbe from UVU, and Ryan Richardson from Weber State. Kameron Chatman from Detroit also joined.

Jazz vice president of player personnel Walt Perrin admitted that none of these players are likely to be NBA players next season. But some clearly have pro-level talent. Perrin said Ogbe has NBA skills, and this is his second workout with the Jazz, but he clearly has more to go.

Richardson probably doesn't have the size to make it all the way to the NBA, but could be a pro player somewhere. Goodman might be a backup player on a G-League roster — quite an accomplishment for a non-Division I player.

The best prospects at the workout were probably Barefield and Rawson, though. Barefield is likely going back to Utah, but he showed enough at the workout to separate himself from the others as someone who the Jazz will need to scout next season, according to Perrin.

And Rawson's shooting ability gives him a calling card as a big at the pro level, though he's not mobile or good enough inside to be an NBA player next year. A majority of Rawson's attempts last season came from 3-point range.

But it's also important to the Jazz organization to establish relationships with the colleges in Utah, especially the coaching staffs. Being well-regarded locally helps every aspect, from ticket sales to the Stars' prospects, and more.

Related topics