Cavs Mailbag: Concern Over Donovan Mitchell's Hamstring Injury?
Welcome to Cavs Mailbag! In this daily mailbag, Spencer Davies will respond to fans’ curiosities surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers throughout the duration of the 2023-24 season. In order to submit yours, simply send your questions on X to @SpinDavies or via email at spindavies22@gmail.com.
The Cavs get back to the action on another busy, sports-filled Sunday in downtown Cleveland. Right after the Cleveland Browns face off with their rival Pittsburgh Steelers, the wine-and-gold will host the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets at 6 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Once again, Northeast Ohio should have a dandy of a day on its hands.
Let's get to your questions:
With Donovan out tomorrow..is this a serious injury? Or are they just being super cautious? Have you heard anything? - @fungible1944
It's a shame that Donovan Mitchell had to miss one of the biggest games of the early season vs. the reigning NBA champs, but with the rigorous upcoming schedule the Cavs have, this is a pick-your-battles type of ordeal. The team is going to need its All-Star leader for this sizable amount of games vs. the strong opponents it'll face.
"Don't think it's bad," one source close to the team told Cavs Insider.
Mitchell suffered a hamstring strain in his right leg at the tail end of a 10-day, four-game road trip on Wednesday in Portland. He hasn't commented on the matter at this point, nor has head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Nov 15, 2023; Portland, Oregon, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket during the second half against Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) at Moda Center.
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
For what it's worth, Mitchell was only listed as questionable on Friday night and he's been ruled out Sunday vs. the Nuggets, so those designations are different. Whether they're telling about the severity of the injury or not, who knows?
Personally, I'd lean toward him playing at some point this week just based on this critical early-season stretch. Getting two games to rest should help heal his hammy. If he does play that soon, it'll be interesting to see how the Cavs handle his workload for this home-road back-to-back against the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. The Sixers matchup is an NBA In-Season Tournament game after all.
What do we have to do to get J.B. to play CPJ 20 minutes a night? - @justavictim1182
Craig Porter Jr.'s been terrific. I understand why Cavs fans want to see him play more. It's to his advantage that Bickerstaff already has belief in what he's capable of this early into his career. Why shouldn't he? Porter's taking care of the ball, getting the ball to his teammates in the right spots and finding the opportune moments to take his shots and use those driving lanes. I loved the way he used Jarrett Allen as a screener the other night.
Porter's a rookie beyond his years with the five seasons of college he played and the patience he's put on display thus far. That 12-point, five-assist, three-rebound performance with a steal in just under 16 minutes was not only efficient for him, but critical for the team. We'll probably see him get similar chances even at full strength in the guard room, at least with Ty Jerome on the shelf.
So I don't think you'd have to do much convincing to Bickerstaff based on what he's seen to this point. Porter's earning his trust quickly.
