Donovan Mitchell is reportedly angry over the Jazz’s late decision to rule the injured guard out of Sunday’s playoff opener against the Grizzlies, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon.
The Jazz have since announced that Mitchell will be available to play in Game 2 on Wednesday with Memphis holding a 1–0 series advantage.
Mitchell, who hasn’t played since April 16 due to an ankle injury, was expected to feature for the top-seeded Jazz in Game 1 after practicing for three days and participating in Sunday morning’s shootaround.
“I feel good,” Mitchell told The Salt Lake Tribune before the game. “Always gonna be soreness. I feel good, I’m ready to go tonight. No pain. I’m excited to get going.”
The guard wasn’t listed on Utah’s injury reports on Saturday and early Sunday, but the Jazz training staff reportedly recommended that Mitchell remain on the inactive list following the morning shootaround.
The 2017 first-round pick out of Louisville averaged a career-high 26.4 points and 5.2 assists per game in leading Utah to the best record in the NBA at 52–20. However, his omission from the team’s 112–109 home loss has reportedly inflamed tensions over the team’s handling of Mitchell’s recovery, according to ESPN.
“It was a big surprise,” Jazz center Rudy Gobert said in his postgame news conference. “I try to stay out of all of this because it’s just going to give me a headache. Hopefully, he’s good for next game. That’s all I’m worried about. Obviously, when you wake up and get ready for a game and you find out that your star player is not going to play, it throws you off a little bit.”
Gobert said the team was informed of the decision to sit Mitchell out at 4 p.m., just three and a half hours before tip-off. The Jazz overcame a double-digit deficit, but Memphis prevailed behind 31 points from Dillon Brooks.
More NBA Coverage:
