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Trhae Mitchell chased teammate Jarrett Culver around a screen and a curl, sticking tightly to him.
As Jalen Lecque drove, Mitchell stayed home, giving Lecque only one place to send the ball – right to Mitchell.
It was only during practice, but that type of defense is what head coach Kevin Burleson and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers have come to expect from the former South Alabama player, starting his third season with the Vipers. His defense, in a league – and especially a team – known for its rapid fire and high scoring, led Burleson to claim last season that Mitchell should be named the NBA G League defensive player of the year.
While Mitchell’s numbers, and playing time, are down since last year, the Vipers are only three games into the season and the are loaded with talent up and down the roster. Still, in the G League somebody can play 10 minutes one day and 35 minutes the very next. Mitchell and his defending Western Conference champion Vipers will host Osceola, another stacked team with a very familiar face on it, for their home opener at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg.
It’s the first of six consecutive home games that will take them into December. They play Osceola again Friday, then host Oklahoma (Saturday, Nov. 25), Texas (Tuesday, Nov. 28) and Mexico City (Thursday, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1) to close out the month. All of those games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Trevelin Queen returns to Bert Ogden with Osceola. Queen played for the Vipers and was named the Most Valuable Player for the NBA G League and for the G League Finals, helping lead them to their fourth G League title.
Another familiar name on the Magic, who hasn’t played for the Vipers, is Mac McClung, who played at both Georgetown (2018-20) and Texas Tech (2020-21). He is known for his leaping ability (reportedly with a measured 43.5-inch leap) and he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest at the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.
Don’t be surprised to see Mitchell assigned to defend either of those player with his stalking and physical deny-you-the ball defense. In fact, Mitchell lists McClung as one of the tougher players he’s had to face.
“It’s going to be fun competing against him again,” Mitchell said. “Defense is important to me. It’s how I separate myself and it’s what I know I need to get to the next level.
“You’ve got a million people wanting to score, but you don’t have a million people wanting to play defense.”
Burleson said Mitchell’s defensive intensity carries over to his teammates when he’s on the floor.
“He plays hard on both ends of the floor, but he knows he has a gift defensively. It changes the game for you when you are game planning because you’re able to put him on the best player of another team. You know he has the ability of slowing him down or shutting him down .”
Mitchell started his athletic career playing football, as a cornerback and a receiver. That, he said is where he gained his aggressive defensive position. This year he’s averaging 2.5 points a game. Defenders know they’re going to have to work when the man nicknamed “Honest” gets the assignment.
“I know the guys depend on me and I know if gives the team energy and value so that’s what I try to do,” he said.
Of course, the goal is to get to the big show, the NBA and Mitchell said he feels like he’s on the right path.
“I need to make shots, corner threes and play defense like I’ve always done,” he said. “I feel like I’ve proved it each year that I’m better and now coach wants me to shoot 35%, specifically, from threes, and then we’ll be there.
“Coach and the team want me to keep shooting. They have a lot of faith in me. You know, you miss every shot you don’t take.”
Now, that sounds more like a Vipers run-and-gun statement. In fact, during the first three games of the season, the four-time champions lead the league in scoring, averaging 130.3 points per contest. Salt Lake City is second at 145.3. They are also fourth in rebounding and fourth in steals per contest.
“Honest (Mitchell), just helps you defensively when you’re scheming and other players want to play hard when he’s out there because he’s playing so hard,” said Burleson, in his second year as Vipers head coach. “It’s a great advantage – most young players don’t play hard on that end. He stands out for sure.”
