Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell is not afraid to get his shots in — on or off the court

It started in Orlando: When Rodney Hood was doing an on-camera postgame interview after scoring 31 points, rookie Donovan Mitchell sneaked around back and squirted him with a water bottle.

Derrick Favors got squirted the next win over Chicago. When Joe Ingles was being interviewed after a win over Milwaukee on Saturday, he had his eyes peeled for Mitchell making sure he wasn’t lurking in the background — Mitchell got Hood again instead.

“What do I make of it?” Favors responded when asked about Mitchell’s postgame antics. “I don’t know. He got it coming to him, though.”

That, it turns out, is the whole point. Over the years, the Jazz rookie hazing rituals have become known outside of the locker room. Already sporting a pink backpack on the road, Mitchell knows it’s only a matter of time before his car is filled with popcorn (he recently got his driver’s license).

“I knew they were going to get me as soon as I got the car,” he said. “So I thought I might as well get a few in before that happens.”

If that seems unusually assertive for a rookie to be mixing it up with veterans like Mitchell has, it may be easier to view it as if the regular rules don’t apply. He’s the second-leading scorer on the team (14.8 ppg) and seemingly taking strides with every night he suits up.

Coach Quin Snyder was very pleased after Wednesday’s win over the Bulls, when Mitchell’s shots weren’t going down, but he became a willing passer to the tune of seven assists. He’s also not afraid to try things he’s working on in warm-ups in the actual games later that night.

“It’s a credit to him and to [assistant coach] Johnny Bryant really,” Snyder said. “We’ve seen a lot of carryover from Donovan. … He’s trying to do what we want, and what we want are things that are going to make him a more balanced offensive player and a better defensive player.”

Added Snyder: “He better not squirt me with water.”

Favors getting centered

Adjustment? What adjustment?

That’s Favors’ attitude since moving to center eight games ago to fill the gap left by injured big man Rudy Gobert. In that stretch, Favors has seen jumps in scoring (15.9 ppg), rebounds (8.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (56.5 percent). His take is that he always had it in him to play in the middle.

“It’s not hard — it’s something I’m used to,” he said. “I’m basically being in pick and rolls a lot more, getting in the paint area a lot more. It’s not that hard to get used to, I think I’m doing a pretty good job of it.”

The Jazz had started the season with the intent of using Favors to space the floor more, encouraging him to shoot corner threes and guard other fours. The toughest part at times, he said, has been remembering not to float out to the perimeter on defense — he’s done it once or twice to Snyder’s chagrin.

Favors got some attention Saturday for his two-handed block of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s getting used to banging with other bigs in the paint — even the ones bigger than him.

“It’s a wrasslin’ match down there every night,” he said. “Guys are like 7-feet-2, 270, 275. It’s a fighting match down there.”

Injury update

A few positive signs for the Jazz after practice on Monday: Gobert was seen doing drill work with assistant coach Alex Jensen, moving around relatively fluidly on his injured right leg that has kept him out for eight games so far. Forward Joe Johnson, who has missed 13 games, was spotted without a brace on his right arm.

Both are up for medical re-evaluation relatively soon: Johnson is expected to see a hand specialist again by Tuesday, while Gobert has less than two weeks left before his tibia is re-examined.

Not all injury news was good however. Raul Neto was updated to questionable after a costochondral sprain (rib area).

Jazz-Nuggets to air on ESPN

Tuesday night’s rematch with the Denver Nuggets on ESPN will be the first nationally televised Jazz game of the season, with seven games scheduled so far. While Snyder played down the matchup, Favors acknowledged that those individual results can cause fans outside the Salt Lake market to form impressions that carry on past the game. The Jazz are trying not to worry too much about it.

“It’s kind of one of those things where they haven’t seen you in a while,” Favors said. “If you play good, they love you. If you play bad, they hate you. So it’s one of those types of things. I’m just gonna go out there and play my game.”