Donovan Mitchell Leaning On Old Experience To Power Through Knee Injury With Cavs

Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell experienced a poorly timed ankle injury three years ago with the Utah Jazz, and he's using that experience to power through this knee issue.

Apr 10, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates after hitting a three point basket during the second half as Memphis Grizzlies forward Timmy Allen (0) looks on at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The last couple of months have not been easy for neither Donovan Mitchell nor the Cleveland Cavaliers. With their star gutting out a bothersome left knee injury and the team trying to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference standings, the wine-and-gold clearly hasn't been at its best.

However, despite the up-and-down play stemming from injuries and inconsistencies, Cleveland still sits in fourth place in the ever-changing East standings with two games left on the regular-season calendar.

And just as the team is hanging in there, so is Mitchell. Coming off a 29-point night with eight assists, four rebounds, three steals and a block in a Cavs win over the depleted Memphis Grizzlies, he looked as good as he physically has in quite some time since his initial return to the team on March 29.

"I feel really good. I feel like I was basically there, and I feel like I could have kept going in the fourth, but no need to," Mitchell said after Wednesday's win. "Just kind of pace myself, and obviously Friday's a big one and be ready for that [vs. Indiana]. But that's the biggest thing, just stacking the performances on top of each other, stacking them up and continuing to build for this push.”

"I think his intent was different," Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff added. "I think he understands the moment and he knew what this team needed, and typically that's what Donovan does. When games are bigger, the scenes are bigger, Donovan leads by example. And he's aggressive and attack-minded, and I thought he was that tonight."

Apr 10, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates after hitting a three point basket during the second half as Memphis Grizzlies forward Timmy Allen (0) looks on at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

In his postgame press conference, Mitchell revealed that he's been using the memory of a similar situation three years ago with the Utah Jazz to keep him in the right mindset currently in Cleveland.

In the 2020-21 season, he suffered an ankle injury where he tore three ligaments and had to miss the last 19 games of the regular season over the course of 39 days. After missing Utah's first postseason game, Mitchell returned with a vengeance and had an unforgettable playoff run individually.

Mitchell averaged 32.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 10 games, leading the Jazz to four straight wins and series victory vs. the Memphis Grizzlies before dropping a six-game series to the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.

"If I didn't have that time, I think it'd be a little bit more difficult. I think now understanding that you have to give yourself grace," Mitchell said, literally knocking on wood before adding that there's no structural damage to his knee.

"You just have to go out there and continue to play through it... I'm thankful for that. We go through things in life for a reason, and at that time I probably wouldn't have been able to see this, but understand that that's what this is and continuing to build upon it and just like I've been saying one percent better every day. That's the biggest thing."

Donovan Mitchell shares how suffering a difficult ankle injury at the wrong time a few years ago with the Jazz is helping him with his current knee injury with the #Cavs as he prepares for the playoffs.

A reminder that bad experiences can be used positively later down the road. pic.twitter.com/xd1LuHLFXV

— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) April 11, 2024

It also built confidence and taught him how to find other ways to successfully play the game.

"I'm not jumping, I'm not blowing by people, okay, how do I work on off-the-dribble threes? How do I finish in the paint under the rim and not being able to get up there," Mitchell said. "So it teaches you so many different things. So understand that this is just another lesson that God has put in front of me.

"As angry as I am that I wasn't out there for the past two-and-a half months or not myself, at the end of the day, what can I do about it? I've got to go out there and put the work and put the time in and be ready, what my number's called.”

Luckily for the Cavs, Mitchell did appear as close to his usual self as we've seen yet. With only two more games to go in the regular season and some time to rest and reset after this weekend, maybe this won't be as bad as it seemed it would be initially.

"You never want to see your teammates hurt or at least playing hurt," Jarrett Allen said. "Obviously, he didn't look like himself being out there a couple of games ago. But I think some time off, some time away helped his body recover, helped his mental recover to come back and be the Donovan that we know."