The battle for the Rookie of the Year award this season continues to be one of the most talked about storylines as there are several candidates in contention.Ben Simmons has been the favourite for much of the campaign but he faces stiff competition from Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell who has arguably been the best player in his draft class this year.He has been a revelation for the Jazz and has quickly become their leader offensively.The 21-year-old is averaging 19.4 points, 3.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game this season and leads his team in scoring.Mitchell produced another impressive display as Utah thumped the Portland Trail Blazers 115-96 on the road on Sunday night.The youngster posted 27 points, six rebounds and two assists in the victory and shot 10-of-24 from the field. 21 of his points came in the second half where he exploded to inspire the Jazz to a ninth win on the bounce.He gave a good account of himself against one of best backcourts in the west in Damian Lillard and C.J McCollum.

Lillard was full of praise for the Louisville product after the encounter and said he deserves to be crowned as the top rookie this season.

"I think he should be Rookie of the Year, for sure," Lillard said of Mitchell, per OregonLive. "Not just because of his numbers, but his impact on their team. He's basically leading them. It's special to see a rookie be able to do what he's doing out there."

Mitchell was named Rookie of the Month in both December and January and is already developing into a star player in just his first year.

McCollum, who was matched up against the dynamic scorer for much of the night, also admired his offensive game.

"He's good," McCollum said. "He's got game. He's able to play at a different pace, able to get to the rim, he's able to hit tough shots once he gets going. He's a handful."

Funnily enough, the Utah man could easily have been suiting up for the Blazers.

After trading up in the draft, Portland received the number 10 pick and selected big man Zach Collins - three spots ahead of Mitchell.

Collins has quickly become a good rotation player for the Trail Blazers but Mitchell has become a star and will soon be regarded as the face of the Jazz franchise.

The fans in Salt Lake City are certainly happy that the Blazers, as well as other teams, passed on the talented guard so they could enjoy his outstanding play this season.