We will have to wait before seeing him traumatize the circles again during a match. “ I did the warm up, I know y'all weren't there “, coward Donovan Mitchell speaking to journalists. A way for him to reassure him about his state of health which has been raising questions for several weeks.
Last night, against the modest Grizzlies, the Cavs guard scored 29 points (9/17 on shots including 5/10 from distance), 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 interceptions. Or his best match in a good month, marked by a number of back and forths between the floor and the infirmary. The fault is a bone contusion on the left knee. Result: his team has been stalling for a month (5 victories in 16 matches before yesterday).
“ It was time to get going, I felt great this evening. The best treatment (for his knee) is rest, but I don't have time for that “, however, says Donovan Mitchell, thinking about the situation in his team's standings.
Currently 4th in the East, the Cavs (47v-33d) have only one more defeat than the Knicks (47v-32d) ahead of them. But only two more victories than the Sixers (45v-35d), 7th. In other words, the Ohio players are far from being able to project their final position when starting the final phases.
No risk of worsening
Above all, a high-stakes meeting takes place this Friday against the Pacers, also engaged in the battle with only one victory less than them. Difficult in this context for Donovan Mitchell to ignore.
“ We will give him the opportunity to play. The matches we've played here recently have allowed him to increase his playing time. It's something he wants to do, something he thinks he needs to do to prepare for what's next. […] He understands that we have to bring him to his best level so that we have the most success possible. », aims his coach JB Bickerstaff.
At a press conference, his flagship player ensures that his injury does not affect anything “ structural “. So he knocks on wood by putting his words into action. “ I realize that we have to go there and continue to play despite that, and it's hard », agrees Donovan Mitchell, remembering his ankle injury, which hampered him during the 2021 playoffs.
Even if according to him, the mental dimension is very important today. “ I consider myself to be quite mentally strong, therefore able to find ways to adapt to the situation. I felt really good tonight and that's all I care about, keep building on that. I can't make it worse by playing, that's what I've been told », Reports the player who had also forgotten before the match to put on his mask, worn in the wake of his broken nose.
| Donovan Mitchell | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | UTH | 79 | 33 | 43.7 | 34.0 | 80.5 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 20.5 |
| 2018-19 | UTH | 77 | 34 | 43.2 | 36.2 | 80.6 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 23.8 |
| 2019-20 | UTH | 69 | 34 | 44.9 | 36.6 | 86.3 | 0.8 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 24.0 |
| 2020-21 | UTH | 53 | 33 | 43.8 | 38.6 | 84.5 | 0.9 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 26.4 |
| 2021-22 | UTH | 67 | 34 | 44.8 | 35.5 | 85.3 | 0.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 25.9 |
| 2022-23 | KEY | 68 | 36 | 48.4 | 38.6 | 86.7 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 28.3 |
| 2023-24 | KEY | 53 | 35 | 46.1 | 36.5 | 86.3 | 0.8 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 6.0 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 26.4 |
| Total | 466 | 34 | 45.0 | 36.5 | 84.3 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 24.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
