A loss in the standings wasn’t the only thing the Cavs suffered that day. Three new rotation players have been added to the injury report. Keon Ellis has broken his left index finger, Dean Wade has a right ankle sprain, and Dennis Schroder also has a right ankle sprain.
The severity of any of the new injuries isn’t known at this time.
The most concerning part of the injury report is Mitchell missing his second game in a row with a groin strain. It seems like Mitchell has battled some kind of injury in late February/early March for the past few seasons. This groin strain is the latest one.
The Cavs need Mitchell at his best if they’re going to meet playoff expectations. Shutting him down for several games, if needed, would be in their long-term best interest. We’ll likely find out more information about his injury on Friday evening when head coach Kenny Atkinson speaks with the media.
The three new names on the injury report of Ellis, Wade, and Schroder are concerning. Each fills a vital role for this team that isn’t easily replaced.
We’ll see which of the questionable players are available to play. At the very least, it’s disappointing that the Cavs will be without their best player and could be missing several key contributors in Friday’s matchup with Detroit.
