UrbanUpdate

To put into perspective the rise of Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging a shade under 20 points per game in his rookie season with the Utah Jazz: At the beginning of 2017, Mitchell was a college sophomore with a poster of LeBron James hanging in his Louisville dorm room. On second-to-last day of 2017, Mitchell went for 29 points, six assists and three steals, leading his new team to a 104-101 win over James and his Cleveland Cavaliers.

There are still a handful of games remaining before All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, where Mitchell will participate in the Slam Dunk Contest, but it doesn’t feel too early to say the Jazz netted the steal of the 2017 draft. After a quiet freshman season at Louisville, Mitchell lost 18 pounds by spending his offseason days running around the football field on campus. He came back for his sophomore year feeling fresher and quicker, earning himself a more prominent role on the team and, eventually, First-Team All-ACC honors and the right to call himself a first-round draft pick.

Mitchell’s diet has improved plenty since his first year at Louisville, and he’s learned since then to appreciate a good salad, especially one from The Cheesecake Factory. Even so, the man still fights the urge to head for the nearest Ruth’s Chris every time he's on the road. We recently caught up with Mitchell to talk about how his eating habits have changed since joining the NBA; what he's doing to avoid the looming rookie wall; and his love-hate relationship with Caesar salad. (Hint: It's mostly love.)

GQ: You lost a lot of weight between your freshman and sophomores season at Louisville. What was the adjustment like between college and the NBA?

Donovan Mitchell: In college, I wasn’t losing weight the right way. Sometimes, I would just...not eat in order to get my weight down. You can’t do that in the NBA—there are too many games to do it that way. So, one of the biggest things for me has been to understand the proper nutrients you need in order to play on a day-to-day basis. It’s about figuring out a certain way to eat.

How have you improved in terms of your eating habits?

I go by the 80-20 rule. So, 80 percent of the time, I’m eating healthy and focused on the right foods—fruits, vegetables, all the good stuff. Then there is 20 percent of the time where you can sneak in some of the other foods, like a steak. That’s not to say that a steak is bad. But it’s an unhealthier option compared to the 80-percent foods. That’s been the biggest thing for me during my rookie season—just trying to find that balance.

You had mentioned that at the start of the season, you would go to Ruth’s Chris whenever you were on the road, but quickly realized that you had to curb that. Is that what the 20 percent would entail for you?

My 20 percent is definitely Ruth’s Chris. If I go there, it has to be something that’s not terrible, but also... not the best for me. I’ll have a steak cooked medium well, the sweet potato casserole, and a Caesar salad. I really like the sweet potato casserole there.

Speaking of Caesar salad, you have this love-hate relationship with it. I've heard you call it the best-tasting salad, but also the unhealthiest one.

Unfortunately, Caesar salad dressing is the worst for you. But I never used to eat salad before, so it’s a big upgrade for me. It’s progress! [laughs]

When did you start getting into salad?

This past summer. I was working out with [all-time UCLA leading scorer] Don MacLean as part of my pre-draft workouts, and he was like, “You have to start eating salad.” Of course, I ended up picking the tastiest but also the most unhealthy salad.

And your favorite is the Caesar salad with grilled chicken at The Cheesecake Factory?

That’s my spot.

When you first got to Louisville, you would eat an entire large pizza from Papa John’s before practice, and a lot of late-night candy. Have you cut out the snacks now?

No snacks—definitely nothing crazy anymore. It catches up to you after awhile. The thing I have now is chewing gum. It’s just to keep that little sweet tooth going.

What is your game day meal routine like?

It varies when I’m on the road. When we’re playing at home in Utah, breakfast is really the only meal at which I allow myself to be a little unhealthy. So it’s usually pancakes, waffles, eggs, and bacon. I like to keep that consistent. For lunch and dinner, I will have Caesar salad. It’s always the same thing. After the game, it just depends on what they’re serving in the locker room. But if we’re playing a back-to-back, I’ll make sure that before the game, I order a salad for after the game.

A lot of people talk about the “rookie wall,” but you don’t seem like you’re slowing down at all. Is that something you’re paying attention to in terms of your diet?

It’s not just the food you eat—it’s also about the way you take care of your body after a game. If you focus on the recovery process, you will be that much further ahead than everyone else. I think I’ve taken good steps towards doing that.

But the biggest thing is understanding that the rookie wall will come. I think it’s just on you to limit how long you’re in it. There have been stretches when I’ve felt tired. I don’t know if I’ve hit it, or I’m in it. I just continue to work.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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