The Cleveland Cavaliers have no shortage of glamour on the roster as they prepare for their home opener against the Toronto Raptors Friday night. Though they’ll be without two major contributors – Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen. Mitchell, a six-time All-Star who is averaging 28 points per game this season, is out with left hamstring tightness. Allen has been holding down the front court, averaging 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game over the first five games of the season. Unfortunately, he is now lost for at least four weeks with a broken ring finger on his left hand.
Mitchell’s torrid start to the season! He wasn’t shy about firing away and he hit all four of his triple tries, scoring 12 points just in the first quarter against the Celtics. In large part during the second half, he really struggled. His final stat line was just 15 points but during that stretch, he only made 1 of his 8 field goal attempts. As young as they are, the Cavaliers team has been nothing short of impressive this season. They locked down the number one seed in the East last season, but they fell to Indiana in the playoff second round. His absence will truly be felt, however.
Jarrett Allen, 6-foot-11, has arguably been the most important piece to the Cavaliers’ return to competitiveness. He has since appeared in all five games this season for the team. Sadly, he recorded his injury during a 125-105 defeat against Boston on Wednesday night. Allen’s injury led the team to rule him out. This is a tough blow for Cleveland as they do all they can to train on their early season momentum.
In the postseason, the Cavaliers will have to find ways to overcome these challenges without two of their most important players. The team has proven to be incredibly resilient thus far. Still, they’ll no doubt miss Mitchell’s scoring ability and Allen’s rim protection as they face a brutal matchup with Toronto.
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