The Kings play the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, and Mitchell is still trying to find a way to get some extra work in.
“He called me this morning and asked if we can go to the gym and get some shots up, and I said, ‘Young fella, there isn’t a gym available,’” Jackson said. “He’s trying to get some real work in on gamedays, and it’s not for show. He just wants to be in the gym. We just have to teach him how to manage his body on gamedays because he can’t do that for 82 games. I’m never going to tell a player to not work hard, but there are ways of doing it smart.
“He gives our team a toughness we really haven’t had. And it’s no knock on our guys, but he’s different. When you’re a small guy, you’ve got to fight and scrap for everything, and so I get why he works so hard. This brother is special, and we’re lucky to have him.”