Utah Jazz All-Star and leading scorer of the season Donovan Mitchell recently suffered an injury that is expected to keep him out of NBA action for several weeks. This is a huge loss for the Utah Jazz who were looking to secure the top spot in the NBA Western Conference in the coming weeks.
Donovan Mitchell is also the league’s second leading scorer since the All-Star break. He was one of the biggest reasons for the Utah Jazz’s tremendous success this season and was consistent. Mitchell missed just two games all season until his recent injury.
Donovan Mitchell – The Return of the Star
Donovan Mitchell suffered an ankle injury during the third quarter of the Jazz’s win over the Indiana Pacers on April 17. Mitchell landed awkwardly on his right leg under Indiana Pacers guard Edward Sommer. He was assisted by his teammate Royce O’Neale, who looked quite pained. Magnetic resonance imaging later revealed that there was no structural damage, meaning Donovan Mitchell should be fine in time for the NBA playoffs.
Without Donovan Mitchell, the rest of the Utah Jazz’s deep roster will have to strengthen. ESPN reported that the target guard’s wrist will be re-evaluated a week later. Although official sources have yet to confirm a return date, since there is no structural damage, he is expected to return in two weeks and should be available for the game against the Denver Nuggets.
Teammate Donovan Mitchell and two-time club Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert spoke about the injury after the game against the Pacers, saying Mitchell was in good spirits despite the setback.
“I didn’t see what happened in the play. I saw him in the locker room, he was in a great mood, so I hope we can get him back soon. I didn’t see the show. I don’t know. At first I didn’t know where he was injured, but I hope it’s not serious and he can come back soon.”
Head coach Quin Snyder also hoped the injury wasn’t “serious” and suggested his team didn’t need to do anything different to win.
Utah Jazz without Donovan Mitchell this season
Due to Donovan Mitchell’s consistency and lack of injuries this season, the Utah Jazz have not had to play without their star guard many times. Mitchell had started all but 3 of the Utah Jazz’s 52 games prior to the game against the Indiana Pacers. Since then, the Utah Jazz have played 7 more games and have an overall record of 6-4 in Mitchell’s absence.
While it’s clear that every team will struggle if the top scorer is missing, the Utah Jazz weren’t bad and celebrated Mitchell’s absence twice against the Dallas Mavericks’ Luke Donk and once against the injured LA Lakers. Is.
But Mitchell, a two-time All-Star, is averaging 26.4 points, 5.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1 steal per game, and has also improved his 3-point shooting.
It’s now…