One NBA insider believes that Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell could 'miss some time' with his latest injury.
Up to this point, Donovan Mitchell is putting together one of his best seasons, not only with the Cleveland Cavaliers but in his career as a whole. A lot of that has to do with Mitchell’s availability throughout the year; he’s only missed a handful of games so far.
Unfortunately, it looks like that’s about to change as Mitchell is now dealing with a groin injury. He was ruled out for Cleveland’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this week and will also be sidelined against the Cavs matchup against the Detroit Pistons.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst doesn’t think it’ll stop there, either; the NBA insider believes Mitchell could miss an extended time with the groin injury.
“I think they're going to call him day to day. However, I think he's going to miss a little bit of time here," said Windhorst on Friday.
Feb 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) walks down the court before a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn ImagesNow, Windhorst saying that Mitchell could miss some time isn’t just because of the severity of the injury, but also because Cleveland’s schedule could allow him to.
“It's been pointed out to me that after the Detroit game in Cleveland the next week, they have 4 days off. And if they let him sit out through then, he'd be looking a bit in 10-ish days off on this issue,” continued Windhorst.
“I'm not saying that's gonna happen for sure, but I think they're leaning towards letting them have the 10 days off to protect it. A bit of a bummer... but, yeah, he's going to miss some time, I think.”
Mitchell has a lengthy history of groin injuries. He missed time last March with a similar issue and also played through a groin injury during the 2023 playoffs. With that in mind, it would make sense for the Cavaliers to give him as much time to recover from it as possible; it’s just disappointing that the injury is occurring right now.
As important as it is for Cleveland to all get on the same page before the playoffs, it’s even more critical for the Cavaliers to have a healthy, 100 percent Donovan Mitchell playing in the postseason.
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