Donovan

Mitchell

Garland picked up the injury on March 23 against the Jazz and played through it before ultimately missing time. He missed four of the Cavs’ final seven games of the regular season and Games 1 and 2 of the first-round playoff series with Indiana, re-aggravating the injury in the process. If Ty Jerome re-signs with Cleveland this offseason, he’s the guy most likely to replace Garland in the starting five. Donovan Mitchell’s usage rate spiked when Garland sat and he’d appear to be in line for some big fantasy lines early in the season while Garland is sidelined.

Mitchell scored at least 33 points in four of the series’ five games, but efficiency was an issue in Tuesday’s series finale. He shot just 32 percent from the field, boosting his point total with frequent trips to the foul line. Sometimes, Mitchell appeared to be impacted by his injured left ankle, but many players are dealing with an injury at this stage in the season. While he did not live up to his Yahoo! ADP of 17, the Cavaliers’ star offered third-round value in nine-cat formats during the regular season. Mitchell won’t be worth selecting with a first-round pick in 12-team drafts next fall, but he should not drop out of the second round.

Mitchell did not play in the second half of Sunday’s Game 4 blowout loss after aggravating a left ankle injury. The good news is that he’ll be available for Tuesday’s game, and the Cavaliers will need all hands on deck as they trail three games to one. Cleveland will go with its regular starting lineup, with Darius Garland, Max Strus, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen joining Mitchell. According to TNT, an MRI on Monday revealed a sprain and showed that Mitchell did not suffer any additional damage.

Mitchell didn’t return after halftime of Sunday’s blowout loss, and Ty Jerome started in his place for the second half. The Cavs were getting stomped 80-39, but apparently the injury is more serious than initially thought, and his absence in the second half was more than precautionary. If he’s unable to go, Jerome would likely get the starting nod as Cleveland faces elimination at home down 3-1 in the series.

Mitchell exited from Game 4 at halftime, and it wasn’t clear at the time if the 41-point deficit was a factor. However, Mitchell will undergo more testing on Monday, which will give a better indication of his status ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday. With Cleveland facing a 3-1 deficit, it’s difficult to imagine Mitchell not playing through it if it’s only a minor injury. Ty Jerome started the second half in place of Mitchell and would likely start Game 5 if the injury is significant.

While the 41-point halftime deficit may have been a factor in this decision, it certainly isn’t a good sign. Mitchell dealt with a left ankle injury at the end of the regular season and is now dealing with an injury to the same ankle. The extent isn’t clear, but Cleveland won’t be able to win this series without their superstar. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter have also been limited by injuries in this series. Ty Jerome started the second half in place of Mitchell, who was the team’s leading scorer at halftime with 12 points.

Of course, the returns of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter increased the Cavaliers’ chances of getting a win on Friday. But superstars need to step up in spots like the one Cleveland found itself in after losing the first two games. Mitchell did that in Game 3, surpassing the 40-point mark for the second straight game. He’s scored 33 or more in all three games, with efficiency only being an issue in Game 1. It’s become clear that the Pacers don’t have a good defensive matchup for Mitchell, which should continue to result in gaudy stat lines for the Cavaliers’ star guard. Game 4 is on Sunday.

With the Cavaliers down Evan Mobley (ankle), Darius Garland (toe) and De’Andre Hunter (thumb), Mitchell took on a huge scoring workload in Game 2, but it still wasn’t enough. He poured in a staggering 48 points, despite only going 1-of-7 from behind the three-point line. Mitchell was also getting others involved in the offense as he led the Cavaliers with nine assists. The 28-year-old shooting guard was able to get to the free throw often as he was 17-of-21 on free throws. Mitchell and the Cavaliers will have to regroup after dropping the first two games of the series at home. If the Cavaliers don’t get some of their injured players back for Game 3, the onus will fall on Mitchell again to provide most of the offense.

With Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter all ruled out, the Cavaliers are down three of their top six players for Game 2. It’s a tough blow, especially considering Cleveland already dropped Game 1 of the series at home. The Cavs figure to rely heavily on Jerome and Strus to provide some scoring to support what will undoubtedly be a massive workload for Mitchell.

While Mitchell’s final point tally was excellent, how he reached that number was not. The Cavaliers’ leading scorer shot 1-of-11 from three, and Indiana outscored the Cavaliers by 33 points from beyond the arc. Once again playing without Darius Garland (toe), the Cavaliers could not control the tempo. Changing that for Tuesday’s Game 2 becomes exponentially more difficult if Garland cannot play, regardless of what Mitchell does individually.