SALT LAKE CITY — Donovan Mitchell’s NBA debut happened sooner than expected.
Although it was a given that the rookie would play in the Utah Jazz’s season-opener against the Denver Nuggets after he worked his way into the rotation this summer and fall, the lottery pick was penciled in — inked in, even — to come off the bench.
Surprise, surprise.
Starting shooting guard Rodney Hood, who’s been dealing with what the Jazz call “gastric distress,” was a very late scratch from the starting lineup as he took care of urgent matters in the locker room.