NBA DRAFT

July 29, 2021

Davion Mitchell

Q. I know today's only day one of you coming into the NBA, but what legacy do you want to leave behind when it's all said and done?

DAVION MITCHELL: I just want to just leave that I can be a guy who can just be a winner. That's kind of just been my calling card, just doing the things that win, known as a winning person and also a better person off the court.

Q. I had a chance to ask you this question back during the NCAA tournament. People around the country, including your teammates, had always said you were the guy that it came to when it comes to learning things here and there and your game has grown and developed over the last years at Baylor. But what have you learned and what have you grown from your game since the last time you stepped on court with a Baylor jersey on to the hat that you put on right now? What have you worked on the most since then?

DAVION MITCHELL: Yeah, just being a pro. Being around all those guys, also at the gym I was working out at, doing the little things like getting in the hot tub, ice tub, taking care of your body. Learning those things. You can't really, you got to think about it's 82 games, it's not college no more, so you got to be available so things like that and just being a pro, eating right, little things like that.

Q. What can you bring to the Kings? For Kings fans who have never seen you play, what can you bring to the table, and what should Kings fans look forward to?

DAVION MITCHELL: Definitely just being a dog on the floor. Guarding everyone, making it hard on them and also play-making ability and just knocking down shots, things like that.

Q. You basically just said it: You want to be a dog on the floor. You didn't go to offense when you actually said that; you went straight to defense. You want to see the next person that you're going to guard. Can you talk about your defensive skills, your defensive mindset and how will that translate working with the Kings?

DAVION MITCHELL: That's just kind of been my calling card. I just love to win and I just really just do what it takes to win, and that's defense. Defense wins championships. So, bringing that to the Kings will definitely help their organization just because I can be a dog on the floor, offense and defense.

Q. How do you measure your defensive skills? Is it a natural thing, is it something that you just work on, did you spend a lot of time looking at film on how to defend guys? What's that thought process?

DAVION MITCHELL: It's kind of all things. Watching film is definitely important and especially with guarding one of their best players, always guarding the best players on the team, so you kind of got to watch film. You can't just go out there with a blind mindset. So, just watching film, and some of it is natural with my hands. I have really quick hands. Moving my feet, I love getting on their guards. So, it's kind of all those things.

Q. Who is probably one of your best instructors as far as teaching you the defensive sets?

DAVION MITCHELL: Defensive sets? I really don't have one. I mean, I can't really think of one. I'm kind of the guy that watches the film. I kind of do that on my own.

Q. What were your conversations like with the Kings building up to the draft, and how have they said they sort of envision you with this team?

DAVION MITCHELL: I didn't speak much with them but I'm guessing that playing with De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Halliburton, a young backcourt, also a backcourt that can get out and run, make plays for each other, and just playing together.

Q. They were one of the worst defensive teams in the league last year. Just how can you step in and instantly help on that side of the court?

DAVION MITCHELL: Like I said before, disrupting the ball, being a coach on the floor. Everybody wants to win a championship so they got to, you got to be able to play defense to win championships, so I think that the Kings have what it takes.

Q. What did your time at Baylor help you with to prepare for this moment and what do you want to say to Baylor fans that supported you?

DAVION MITCHELL: Just want to shout out to Baylor, thank you for bringing me in, from Auburn. I mean, it's been an amazing feeling just to be there. I think Baylor's just taught me just put others first before yourself and that's kind of been our motto, enjoy teaching others and yourself and I live by it. It brought us together and it brought us a National Championship and it's brought me here.