The Cavs Need To Be Careful With Donovan Mitchell Because Of This Stat
The Cavs have had to rely a lot on their starters so far this season. This includes the backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. However, nobody on the Cavs is playing more minutes a game than Mitchell.
In fact, there's a short list of players in the NBA who are playing more minutes a night than him.
Mitchell is averaging 36.9 minutes a game. Before Tuesday night's slate of games, that is ranked for second-most in the NBA. Devin Booker is tied with Mitchell who also plays 36.9 minutes a game. Luka Doncic and Mikal Bridges are each tied for the most minutes a game with 37.3.
This is also a career-high for Mitchell. His previous high was back during the 2019-20 when he averaged 34.3 minutes a night.
The Cavs are already dealt with their fair share of injuries this year. Kevin Love and Jarrett Allen remain out and the team just got Caris LeVert back after a four game absence. Dean Wade and Garland also missed a significant amount of time earlier in the season too.
Nov 27, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dribbles against Detroit Pistons guard Rodney McGruder (17) in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY
I'm not proposing that Cleveland play Mithcell less just because he's playing almost 37 minutes, or that this amount of playing time is a bad thing, but they should be careful with him. If at any point Mitchell does start to have any nagging injuries due to playing time, it would be smart to cut back on his minutes.
The Cavs are hoping for a deep playoff run this season. Something that prohibited that last season was injuries and it would be a shame if a repeat of that happened this year.
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