Cleveland Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell, who is recuperating from a nasal fracture and a nagging knee injury, is focused being healthy for the upcoming playoffs, according to a recent report from Shams Charania.
“Yeah, there are two issues right now with Donovan Mitchell,” Charania said. “One is he’s got a nasal fracture that he had surgery on, and that’s gonna allow — make him miss some time.
“But even bigger than that, he’s got an ailing bone bruise in his knee. He had PRP injection in that knee. Then he comes back about a week later, and then he said over the weekend, ‘I just don’t feel like myself. I don’t feel like I’m getting by people, blowing by players like I’m used to. It is something I’m gonna have to manage.’
“And I’m told Donovan Mitchell is prioritizing the playoffs. He knows he has to get right. This team — we still haven’t seen them consistently fully whole with Donovan Mitchell in the lineup. Evan Mobley is still out. Getting those two guys back, getting them healthy — they still need to gain that chemistry together. Hopefully the last stretch of the season, last couple weeks, they’ll be able to do that.”
Donovan Mitchell's injury situation
Donovan Mitchell has been in and out of the lineup for the Cavs recently, last playing for Cleveland against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 13 and the Houston Rockets on March 16. Since then, Mitchell has missed the team’s two most recent games versus the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat, after taking an inadvertent blow to the face from Tristan Thompson against Houston, causing the nasal fracture.
While Mitchell successfully had surgery to repair the issue when the Cavs returned to Cleveland, he did share that he would likely have to shut things down due to his bothersome knee. Despite feeling fresh days after receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection, what Mitchell shared was true. His natural speed still isn't where he typically should be on the floor, and it's clear that his knee is still holding him back. So, for now, it's back to square one as Mitchell and his team patiently wait for his knee to progress to where he's back to his typical self on the floor.
While Mitchell won't be rushed back to the floor, Cleveland does miss not having their superstar out there. The Cavs have dropped four of their last six games after falling to the Heat. Cleveland is now in jeopardy of falling to the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, as the New York Knicks are just a game and a half back of the Cavs with a 41-27 record. The Knicks, who eliminated Cleveland in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, are also playing better basketball than the Cavs have of late, considering New York owns a 6-4 record over its past 10 games and is riding a four-game winning streak. The Orlando Magic are also lurking two games back of Cleveland.
Although there are only 13 games left in Cleveland's regular-season schedule, it seems unlikely Donovan Mitchell will be back until closer to the postseason. Due to the NBA's Play-In Tournament, the Cavs thankfully will have nearly a week to rest, recover and practice before the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs begin. Hopefully, Mitchell will get some on-court opportunities before then to shake off any rust he might have, and then he and Cleveland can lock in on a long-term playoff run.
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