The Cavs are taking the cautious approach with Mitchell ahead of the playoffs.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell popped up on the injury report Tuesday afternoon before their matchup against the Brooklyn Nets with left groin soreness. That will keep him out of Monday’s game. However, according to Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, this isn’t a long-term concern.
“In Charlotte (where they played last Friday) there was a little bit of soreness,” Atkinson said before Tuesday’s game. “I think that’s when it started. Definitely not something huge…not a huge deal. But I think we err on the side of caution, but he always wants to play.”
Always wanting to play is something that has caught up to Mitchell in the past, specifically at this point of the season. Mitchell injured his knee at the end of last February. He attempted to come back a few weeks after but he wasn’t himself. This led to him needing to miss additional time before the playoffs and kept him out of the final two games of last season’s second-round series against the Boston Celtics.
The Cavs are hoping to avoid history repeating itself this time around.
Cleveland has proved everything they need to in the regular season. How this historically good regular-season team will be remembered depends entirely on how they finish in the playoffs.
They know that as well.
“I was just thinking the other day about the Detroit Lions (who lost their first playoff game after going 15-2 in the regular season),” Atkinson said before playing the Nets. “They had a great year, then they lose in the playoffs. … It was a disappointment. We don’t want to be there, so we’re focused. We’re locked in.”
They will need Mitchell at full strength throughout the playoffs.
This injury seems to be nowhere near as serious as last year’s knee injury. But it’s safe to assume they will be overly cautious with this, considering how important he is to the Cavaliers’ success.
Cleveland will also be without De’Andre Hunter (illness) and Ty Jerome (rest) for their matchup against the Nets.