Cavs HC Reveals Why Donovan Mitchell Hasn’t Been Shut Down

With only a few games left during the 2023-24 NBA regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of locking up one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference.

With the Cavs potentially securing a top seed in the East, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is starting to field questions about Donovan Mitchell and why the team doesn’t shut him down for the rest of the regular season to get his left knee to 100%.

On Sunday, Mitchell didn’t play against the Clippers on the road at Crypto.com Arena, as the team didn’t want him playing back-to-back games, especially after a poor performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

Mitchell has played in only 53 games this season due to injury, and Cleveland will need him to be as healthy as possible if it wants to be successful in the upcoming NBA playoffs.

As Bickerstaff points out, Mitchell wants to get some reps in before the postseason, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

#Cavs J.B. Bickerstaff on why they don’t just shut down Donovan Mitchell:

“This has been a conversation between myself, him and our medical staff. It’s the thing that we’re most comfortable with. He knows his body more than anybody. He feels like he needs the reps.”

— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) April 7, 2024

In 53 games this season, Mitchell is averaging 26.4 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game, shooting 46.1% from the floor and 36.5% from beyond the arc.

As a result of losing to the Clippers on Sunday, the Cavs are now sitting in fifth place in the East behind the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, and Boston Celtics.

It’ll be interesting to see how the team does in the final stretch and whether Mitchell can get back to form before the first round of the playoffs.

NEXT: 
Kendrick Perkins Says Cavs Need To ‘Make A Choice’ Between 2 Stars