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The Utah Jazz were without their star Donovan Mitchell in Game 1 vs the Memphis Grizzlies as he continued to rehab his ankle injury. However, it appears the decision wasn't up to Mitchell. On Monday, Mitchell expressed his frustration after being held out as the Grizzlies went out to upset the Jazz in Game 1.
Donovan Mitchell: "I was ready to go, the staff didn't think I was ready. There was no setback. … The biggest thing was I felt like I should have played. At the end of the day, the experts said, 'Nope.' That was the frustration. I felt like I wasn't there for my team."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) May 24, 2021
Mitchell has every right to be frustrated, especially after watching his team go down in the opening game of the playoffs after the Jazz finished the year as the top overall seed. The good news, however, is that it was announced on Monday that Mitchell will be good to go for Wednesday's game.
Mitchell was surprised at the decision, as were his Jazz teammates, but it appears that the All-Star has moved on after the disappointment in Game 1.
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Donovan Mitchell, asked if he was shocked by the decision to hold him out: "You could use that word. I didn't expect it. But I'm not a doctor. I'm not the expert. … I spoke to my guys, we're good, we're past it."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) May 24, 2021
It is safe to say that the Jazz missed Mitchell's production on offense. They did end up scoring 109 points, but the absence was clearly evident as they shot just 25 percent from three.
So, while Mitchell has every right to be frustrated, he will be back for Game 2 as the Jazz look to avenge their opening loss against Ja Morant and company. It's not an ideal start, and Game 2 is of utmost importance as they look to even the series before heading to Memphis.
