We were all on high alert with the Cavaliers on the second night of a back-to-back set and those nerves have proven to be justified. All-Star Donovan Mitchell has been listed as questionable with a right shoulder contusion. He’ll be a game-time decision for Wednesday’s tilt against the Pistons. I guess we’ll all be waiting to see if he tweets #LetEmKnow prior to tonight’s 7:00 p.m. ET tip-off.
Mitchell has only missed two of Cleveland’s games in 2024-25, the most recent of which came back on January 9 against the Raptors. Two crucial things to note from that contest. First and foremost, Darius Garland picked up some serious slack as the Cavaliers’ lead guard, dropping 40 points and nine assists with a team-high 35.2% usage rate in the victory. Second, it was Caris LeVert who stepped into Cleveland’s starting five, logging 36.4 minutes and registering 32.75 FPTS.
With Donovan Mitchell off the floor this season, Garland sees his usage rate jump to 30.2% — up from 25.3% when sharing the court with his teammate. He also averages 1.40 FPTS per minute. If Mitchell ends up inactive, Garland would be one of the best values on tonight’s DraftKings slate with his $7,600 salary.
