The Utah Jazz will have to see if they can hold onto the top spot in the Western Conference without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who suffered a significant ankle sprain in Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.
The injury occurred in the third quarter as Mitchell attempted to block an outlet pass. As he landed, his right ankle rolled outward and he crumpled to the ground in obvious pain. He attempted to get up and walk off the discomfort, but ultimately he needed to be helped to the locker room by teammates. You can see video of the injury below.
MRI Comes Back Negative
The good news for Mitchell and Jazz fans alike is that an MRI did not reveal any structural damage or fractures. However, that doesn’t mean Mitchell will be back in the immediate future. The team already announced that he would be out at least a week with a “significant” ankle sprain, but odds are he’ll miss more than a week. The team will want to ensure that Mitchell is back to full health for a playoff run, so they aren’t going to try to rush him back, even if that means potentially losing their league-best record in the process.
Here’s what Dr. Silverman had to say about the injury when he first saw it on Friday:
“From the looks of the play, Mitchell suffered a sprained ankle and likely suffered some tearing to the lateral ligaments that support the ankle. The foot is in a plantar flexed position and the inversion sprain likely means that the anterior talofibular ligament absorbed the most damage.
However, it’s not just about the ligament damage that will keep Mitchell out for some time. When this type of injury occurs, there are also bone contusions and cartilage injuries at play, and these also take time and effort to heal. It’s encouraging that the MRI ruled out more significant injuries, and it seems likely that Mitchell should be able to get back to full game speed by the time the NBA Playoffs begin on May 22.
We’re not privy to the imaging tests, but based on the available information we’d venture to guess that Mitchell will miss anywhere from 2-4 weeks with the ankle sprain, and he’ll slowly increase his minutes as the regular season winds down to ensure he’s back to full health for the playoffs. The Jazz have a rare opportunity to thrive this season as many of the typical big market teams are dealing with their own injuries and issues, so they won’t want to waste this chance by rushing Mitchell back and having him suffer a setback. They need him healthy for when it really matters, which is just over a month from now. As it stands, we see no reason why he won’t be fully healthy by then. We wish him the best in his recovery.”