When it rains, it pours – especially if you're the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After learning Donovan Mitchell would be sidelined for three games after receiving a Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) on his bothersome knee injury, others will also be unavailable when the Cavs host the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics.
Heading into the matchup, Cleveland will be without Mitchell (knee), Max Strus (knee), Ty Jerome (ankle), Isaiah Mobley (NBA G League assignment), and Tristan Thompson (suspension), but that was to be expected.
Cavs limping into Celtics matchup
Mobley being unavailable is no surprise since he isn't a normal member of Cleveland's rotation. He needs to take advantage of the on-court reps available to them with the Cleveland Charge, the NBA G League affiliate of the Cavs.
Jerome, meanwhile, had surgery on a nagging ankle injury in late January, with no sign of return, while Thompson is currently serving game 20 of a 25-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. So the end is in sight for Cleveland to regain their veteran big man.
What wasn't expected, on top of the Mitchell news, was Max Strus being unavailable for the Cavs against the Celtics due to a strained right knee. Strus likely suffered the injury after a nasty collision with New York Knicks big man Isaiah Hartenstein. But, without Strus, Cleveland is down a valuable three-point shooting threat and the Cavs have to hope the knee strain doesn't sideline him for too long.
Cleveland's depth is going to be tested versus Boston, with sharpshooter Sam Merrill likely starting in Strus's place. Regardless, Strus' next chance to suit up will come Wednesday in Atlanta, the second game of a back-to-back for the Cavs.
Another big question mark for the Cavs heading into this Eastern Conference matchup with New York is whether or not Isaac Okoro (elbow) and Caris LeVert will be available.
LeVert being unavailable could be tricky for the Cavs. LeVert is Cleveland's bonafide sixth man and their premiere ball handler and scoring threat off the bench. The luxury of having LeVert available is he can play in place of or alongside whomever the Cavs want at point guard. Without LeVert, it takes the wind out of Cleveland's sails even more, especially with Mitchell unavailable on top of that.
The bigger blow is being without Okoro, who was grabbing at his left elbow after suffering several nasty falls in the Cavs' home loss to the Knicks. Okoro, like LeVert, will likely be a game-time decision and if he is forced to the sidelines, that could open up minutes for guys like Merrill, Dean Wade, Emoni Bates and Georges Niang.
The Cavs have to regain their rhythm after a frustrating loss to the Knicks since this matchup with the Celtics is do or die. The Milwaukee Bucks are ahead of Cleveland in the standings and a loss to Boston would only make things tighter in a hyper-competitive Eastern Conference, not to mention serve as a massive morale blow for a Cavs team that has struggled to find consistency coming out of the All-Star Break, injuries notwithstanding.
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