Injury problems seem to be mounting for every NBA team at such an unprecedented rate, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been no exception. Currently, the Cavs have been looking to hold the fort amid injuries to two of the team’s best players, namely Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. (Max Strus has also been dealing with a knee injury.)
With the playoffs set to begin in a little over a month, it will be of utmost importance for the Cavs to prioritize the health of those two stars. But maintaining their place in the Eastern Conference standings shouldn’t be overlooked as well, so the Cavs will be hoping that a full recovery to both could come at the soonest possible time.
But according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Evan Mobley, despite recently shedding his walking boot in his recovery process from an ankle injury, is “further away” from a return to the hardwood than Donovan Mitchell, who is nursing a knee injury.
The Cavs have mostly held the fort without Mitchell; they may have won just three out of the past seven games sans Mitchell, but two of those wins came in thrilling fashion over the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves. Those two wins could just as easily have been losses, so hearing the sound of a potential return from Spida will be music to Cavs fans’ ears.
As for Evan Mobley, it has been quite the injury-riddled season for the third-year big man out of USC. Mobley missed six weeks earlier in the season due to a knee injury, and now, the talented Cavs youngster is dealing with another lower-body injury. Given the tricky nature of these injuries, especially in frontcourt players, Cleveland will be handling Mobley’s ankle knock with kid gloves.
At present, the Cavs, despite coming off a 117-111 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, are still in third place in the Eastern Conference. They also have a bit of a comfortable 3.5-game lead over the fourth-place team New York Knicks, so it’s not like they’re frantically looking over their shoulders. But live-game reps for Mitchell and Mobley before the postseason are a must, so here’s to hoping for a speedy recovery for them.