Appearing in two games this past week at the California Classic, No. 9 overall draft pick Davion Mitchell impressed both on defense and offense despite the Sacramento Kings’ two losses.

Taking off the rose-colored glasses from the over-analyzation that can come with Summer League providing mostly G League level talent next to up-and-coming rookies and sophomores, Davion Mitchell gave a stellar performance on night one.

Tuesday’s overtime thriller versus Golden State proved to be the more powerful of two games in terms of performance, with Mitchell going for 23 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist. It was his lockdown defense in the fourth quarter that had Tyrese Hailiburton happily reacting and getting hyped from the baseline.

It’s clear that Mitchell’s defense is a statement to his game, something that Kings fans were able to see flashes of on Tuesday despite the outcome of the game. Having 23 points off of 9-18 shooting (a 50% efficiency rate), wasn’t exactly shocking due to the fact that it was still, just a Summer League game.

Wednesday’s game wasn’t as nice to Mitchell offensively. The rookie went for 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in the 74-84 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Shooting just 4-18 from the field, Kings fans looked to Mitchell’s defense for a brighter outcome. He continued his high activity on the defensive end even though the final score of the game didn’t reflect that.

However, one of the most redeeming aspects of the night came five hours pregame, when Davion Mitchell arrived to the arena to get shots up:

Davion Mitchell already on the floor getting up shots…5 HOURS before the @SacramentoKings tip off against the Lakers pic.twitter.com/naSi8Qd1of

— Kayte Christensen-Hunter (@kayte_c) August 4, 2021

The work ethic is there, and Kings fan love to see it. As Summer League presses on next week in Las Vegas, Sactown will await seeing “Off-Night” on full display.