Cavs Give Promising Update on Donovan Mitchell’s Playoff Status

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paul White | Last updated Apr 13, 2025 6:14 PM ET

The Cleveland Cavaliers are preparing for the playoffs after one of the most successful seasons in franchise history.

They won 64 games which is an incredible 16-win improvement from last year.

The main catalyst of their special season is clearly head coach Kenny Atkinson because Cleveland’s roster is largely the same as last year.

The former Golden State Warriors assistant unlocked the frontcourt combination of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

The former is expected to be a finalist for Defensive Player of the year and the latter hasn’t clogged the paint nearly as much as previous years.

Atkinson has also managed to cultivate Darius Garland, allowing the point guard to return to his All-Star form.

But as anyone knows, the stars are the driving force to the NBA, and Donovan Mitchell is the heartbeat of the Cavs.

The six-time All-Star showed an overwhelming amount of maturity this season, sacrificing his numbers for the betterment of the team.

He was just emerging from the depths of the worst slump of his career before he tweaked his ankle last week against the Sacramento Kings.

Mitchell stepped on Keon Ellis’ foot and turned his ankle which forced him to head back to the locker room.

He returned to the game but was held out of the team’s final four games of the season.

There was never any panic from the Cavaliers’ organization, but fans and media members got nervous after Atkinson said that Mitchell told him he felt no pain in the ankle, then missed the last week of the season.

However, before Cleveland’s regular season finale against the Indianapolis Pacers, Atkinson calmed the nerves of Cavs fans everywhere.

When asked about the star shooting guard’s status for the postseason, Atkinson replied, “I think he’ll be a full on with practice.”

Donovan Mitchell is currently on the Rocket Arena floor getting an individual workout in with associate head coach Johnnie Bryant.

Kenny Atkinson mentioned that he’ll be a full participant in practice and intrasquad scrimmages this week as they ramp up for playoffs. #LetEmKnow
— Ethan Sands (@EjElite1) April 13, 2025