Donovan Mitchell's rookie season has been nothing short of a magnificent revelation. There was no reason for the Utah Jazz star to treat the playoffs any differently.

The guard came out guns blazing on Sunday evening, his playoff debut. Sure, it didn't go the way he or his team expected - they lost, while Mitchell suffered some sort of foot injury during the contest. But the performance still spoke volumes as to what the immediate and long-term future could look like for Utah.

Mitchell makes his playoff debut

The rookie wasted no time introducing himself to the national television audience.

Utah jumped out to a 14-2 lead within the first few minutes of their road tilt. Mitchell himself scored nine points in that stretch, making all four of his shots. For a while, it looked as if the Jazz could blow the doors right off of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Things leveled out after that stretch, though. The Thunder started to dominate, with Paul George showing out in his first playoff game with the team. That doesn't mean Mitchell returned to Earth. In fact, he finished with a double-double: 27 points, ten rebounds. He also added three assists and two steals for good measure.

Still, it wasn't enough to propel the Jazz to victory.

There was an injury scare for the Jazz.

At one point, Mitchell gingerly hobbled off the floor with what appeared to be a foot injury. He quickly came back into the game, but the whole scene led to some confusion for everyone involved. He received immediate X-rays, which turned out negative. In other words, don't expect him to treat Game 2 any differently.

Jazz moving forward

Utah didn't look like a title threat during their playoff opener, but they looked like they had potential. Once they figure out how to slow down Paul George - if an injury doesn't do that for them - the team will be in good shape. Having a healthy Mitchell would help. Keeping Rudy Gobert out of foul trouble in Game 2 wouldn't hurt either.

The biggest adjustment the team needs to make is getting Ricky Rubio more open looks. The point guard's shot improved exponentially upon his arrival to Utah, but he made just five shots on 18 attempts Sunday. Meanwhile, Alec Burks scored ten points in just two minutes towards the end of the contest. Maybe that should be indicative of playing time in Game 2.

Mitchell and the Jazz are back at it on Wednesday evening, when the Thunder host Game 2 of the series on NBATV.