Playoff basketball demands more from NBA players. After all, the playoffs represent everything they worked hard for in the regular season. And just in his first year, Utah Jazz combo guard Donovan Mitchell knows everything is at stake. Not even an injured foot will force him to sit on the bench.
In the first game between the Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cory Brewer stepped on Mitchell's foot as the latter came off the screen to get the ball. As seen in the video below posted by Bleacher Report, Brewer did not allow the pass to go through but also stepped on Mitchell's foot in the process.
Even after an injury to his foot, The Rook refused to sit 💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/EAv3U9MC3X
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 16, 2018
As he was being checked on, Mitchell looked impatient. Though we cannot really tell what he's saying, it's clear from the body language that he wants to get up off the bench and play.
As reported by Smans Charania of Yahoo Sports, an x-ray was conducted on the rookie's foot and the results came out negative:
Sources: X-rays on Utah star Donovan Mitchell's left pinky toe returned negative. Mitchell is fighting through injury in OKC.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 16, 2018
In his first playoff game, Mitchell finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. Despite these impressive numbers, the Jazz lost to the Thunder, 108-116.
It was a courageous effort. More so coming from a rookie like Mitchell. He exceeded expectations in the regular season. Now here in the playoffs, Mitchell is proving that he belongs on the big stage. No injury can stop him.
Despite the loss, Mitchell's courage certainly won the hearts of fans and his teammates. Rest assured that come game two, they'll be fired up and ready to even out the series.
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