Seth Fowler graduated from Texas in 1998. Since 2004, he has been helping home buyers and sellers in the DFW Metroplex. Whether new construction, existing homes, investment property, or land, he is your Real Estate Sherpa - guiding you through the process, making it an enjoyable experience. Based in Tarrant County, however, he will help connect you with a quality Realtor anywhere in Texas, the United States, or in the world. When looking to purchase or sell real estate in this new market, call Seth at 817.980.6636.

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Dillon Mitchell was a top-four recruit in the country last year after dominating his senior year at Montverde Academy in Florida. The Sunshine-State native chose the Longhorns over Florida State and Tennessee, enrolling at Texas under Chris Beard for his freshman season.

Of course, we all know how things changed. Rodney Terry took over on December 12, and while Dillon Mitchell started every game he played this year, he was far from the high-level NBA prospect he had been considered in high school, playing just 17.5 minutes on average.

This isn't to say he doesn't have NBA upside, because he does – it just didn't translate in last year's offense. The problem with Dillon Mitchell is that he can't create his own shot.

He won't put the ball on the deck or attack the basket, and didn't attempt a single three his entire freshman season, finishing with really subpar shooting splits of .636/.000/.403. The free-throw numbers are particularly egregious.

So what can Mitchell do to improve his game and live up to the potential scouts saw in him during his AAU and high school days? Here are three ideas for his improvement.

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The most important thing for Dillon Mitchell to do is to develop his handle. Being able to move with the ball opens up not just the ability to attack the basket, but also the ability to distribute.

Averaging just 4.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game last season, he needs to increase across the board statistically, but of these skills, his biggest lack is probably his play-making. Not possessing functional ball-handling ability is a major obstacle for him to increase his assist numbers.

He hasn't always had an aversion to putting the ball on the deck, however. In high school, he showed much greater confidence in this area. Watch the move he makes below here after receiving the pass in transition.

He dribbles a couple of times on the way to the rack before the beautiful spin move, which gives him room to lay it in. This just wasn't something he would have done for Texas last season – the aggression on offense wasn't there.

If Mitchell learns to handle with more dexterity, he will be able to put his elite finishing ability to much better use. Here's an example below of his prowess at the rim. The athleticism pops off the screen, as he takes two steps from the three-point line before leaving his feet for the dunk.

Again, should he develop better ball-handling skills, his game will completely open up, and he could become a very valuable two-way player. He's not going to be a Cam Whitmore type of wing at any point, a guy who is as comfortable moving with the ball as he is without it, but he can become at least effective at doing so.

He will become a much more impactful offensive piece should he improve here, giving him the necessary capability to play the wing spot.

The problem with Mitchell as an NBA prospect is that he's a bit of a "tweener" – he's built like a wing, but plays like a power forward. He lacks most small forward skills, like handling, shooting, and creation.

The athleticism is obvious, and the reason that, despite lacking in these areas, he will still play in the Association.

The play below illustrates what I'd like to see more of from Mitchell – actually getting downhill towards the basket, using his athleticism to gain an advantage on the offensive end. This is another clip from high school, where he felt much more comfortable playing with this intensity on offense.

Though he misses the initial runner (his touch needs work), I still like the mentality. The fact he finishes the play with a super explosive put-back dunk is just icing on the cake.

Here's another example of what I'm looking for from Mitchell. The defensive upside is something that has always stood out, but watch how he recovers the ball after the strip before taking it down the floor.

This is more proof that Mitchell can handle, or at least more so than he demonstrated in college last season. Becoming more confident in this area makes him simultaneously become a better distributor and attacker.

If he's not going to shoot threes, he at least needs to be a threat to drive, taking advantage of what is likely a lightning-quick first-step – he just hasn't demonstrated it.

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Frankly, Mitchell just didn't shoot the ball enough last year to make an offensive impact. This isn't to say he doesn't have the ability to shoot – he just lacked the confidence to do so. He displayed a flawed-but-decent shot form throughout high school.

Watch the turnaround below in Montverde's game against Arizona Compass, when Mitchell was a senior in high school. He uses his 6'9 (at the time, 6'7) frame to back down his opponent in the paint before the clean spin off and midrange jumper. The touch is there, it just needs to be more consistent.

Here's another example of a turnaround jumper from Mitchell, this time in a college game against Rice, in which he had 12 points, eight boards, and went 6/6 from the free-throw line.

Watch the skill on this shot below – Mitchell's lacking shooting numbers aren't due to a lack of shooting form necessarily; it's more due to a lack of attempts. He essentially did not shoot the ball outside of dunks, lay-ups, put-backs, and lobs.

Next season, I expect to see a much more confident Dillon Mitchell, a guy that isn't afraid to take a turnaround jumper more than every once in a while.

There are some good qualities here, but here's one of the bad ones, or to put it euphemistically, an "improvement area."

Shooting an atrocious 40.3% from the line this year, Mitchell lacks good mechanics from the stripe. When bringing the ball up on the attempt, he hesitates a bit around his chin area, which throws off his rhythm. This aberration in form is something he's going to have to work on, because being a complete liability at the line is a great way to grab bench in the NBA.

Drawing fouls is a skill at such a premium in the pros as well. Mitchell barely draws any fouls per game, which makes sense given the criticisms of his game I've discussed so far. The fact that he doesn't handle the ball all that much means he's not driving the rim and not getting fouled.

If he wants to increase his scoring numbers, he has to shoot more, get to the line more frequently, and actually make those attempts count.

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Mitchell has explosive leaping ability, but it didn't really translate last year to consistent rebounding as much as Rodney Terry probably would have liked. The fact he's often playing the four-spot weighing just 205 lbs is a red flag in itself, but I believe the athleticism is elite to the point that he can overcome some of these weight limitations and still be very effective on the glass.

I've mentioned it several times, but most of Mitchell's points last year came from put-back dunks or lobs, so as an offensive rebounder, Mitchell is solid. He averaged 3.9 total boards and 1.4 on the offensive end last year, with an offensive rebounding percentage of 9.3%.

The put-back here is an indication of his timing on the offensive glass, as well as his explosive vertical leap.

He's an intelligent player as well. Just because his assist numbers aren't impressive doesn't mean he completely lacks offensive awareness. He's particularly good at both cutting and scoring as the roll man in pick 'n' roll sets. Watch the basket here after he sets the screen for Marcus Carr, catching the lob and putting it in off the glass.

Like performing the two roles I just referenced above, he does a lot of small things that impact winning. It's not all stats with Dillon Mitchell – he has a high motor and gives maximum effort whenever he's on the floor.

Watch the play below, where he gets a block, rebound, and assist in the same sequence. He displays defensive prowess, ball-handling ability, and vision all in one clip.

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What I'm really saying is that the potential is absolutely there for Dillon Mitchell to become a seriously impactful player at Texas this upcoming season, and a solid role player in the NBA should he improve on the skills I talked about within this piece.

The question will be what position he focuses on this year – with Dylan Disu holding down the power forward spot, and Kadin Shedrick likely being the starting center (or at least getting a lot of minutes there), this would likely mean Mitchell plays the wing.

Like I talked about before, he's central casting for an NBA small forward – 6'9, 205 lbs with explosive athleticism and elite defensive ability (0.6 steals and 0.3 blocks/game).

However, offensively, he doesn't fit the mold at the moment.

He plays almost like Aaron Gordon did when Gordon was at Arizona, the difference being Aaron Gordon weighed 30 more pounds than Mitchell, was stronger, could shoot the three (35.9%), and was arguably more athletic (which is insane to say.)

You saw what Gordon was able to do in the last NBA Finals game, scoring 27 points, leading the Nuggets to a Game 5 victory on the road.

It was absolutely the right decision for Dillon Mitchell to come back to Texas this season. While he may have been a second-round gamble for a team, he has the potential to be a Lottery pick in a much weaker 2024 NBA Draft class.

Offseason addition, Oral Roberts transfer PG Max Abmas, is an excellent pick 'n' roll passer, as is Tyrese Hunter, so Mitchell shouldn't have to do a ton of self-creation if either of those players is on the floor.

This doesn't mean he doesn't need to be able to, for both his college career and his future in the pros. Mitchell's future playing small forward, and therefore, his future in the NBA, depends on his ability to create his own offense, something he has yet to consistently display at Texas.

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@KeenanWomack on Twitter.