Cavs Notes: Donovan Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson, Kenny Atkinson

Donovan Mitchell returned to the lineup Saturday after missing one game with an eye bruise, finishing with 27 points on 23 shots in the Cavaliers’ five-point road win over the Pelicans.

Mitchell sustained the injury earlier in the week during a practice collision with teammate Evan Mobley.

“He was having issues last game, like blurry [vision],” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “It’s not like a scratched cornea, nothing dangerous, but we got to let it clear up.”

Mitchell played through the issue in Tuesday’s win over Milwaukee, recording 19 points on 4-of-14 shooting while sporting a noticeably bloodshot eye.

His return Saturday provided a more stable offensive presence. And in that game, the Cavs really needed it.

Tyson Injury 

Second-year forward Jaylon Tyson has been one of the Cavs’ more promising contributors this season, but a toe injury has created uncertainty around his role.

As noted by Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, Tyson exited Thursday’s game against Chicago early and opted not to return.

“It’s always difficult,” Tyson said. “I’m a competitor. I had a good opportunity today, so I wanted to be out there.”

Tyson’s place in the rotation has already been in flux following the additions of James Harden, Keon Ellis, and Dennis Schroder. Even so, he has remained productive in limited minutes.

Question is, will he be the odd man out when it comes to the playoff rotation.

Atkinson on Mitchell-Harden

Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson pointed to the presence of both Donovan Mitchell and James Harden after Saturday’s win over New Orleans, particularly with the game hanging late.

“It’s nice to have two superstars,” Atkinson said, via Fedor. “As poorly as we were playing, that’s a game maybe with a younger team or less experienced team, you would lose by 25 or 30 on the last game of the road trip.”

Basically, the Cavs didn’t have their best stuff for much of the night and still closed it out.