The struggling Utah Jazz will be further hindered this evening in Sacramento as Donovan Mitchell will not be suiting up for the contest.
Utah Jazz fans have been the beneficiaries of plenty of bad news so far this season considering that their team has vastly under-performed to the tune of an 8-11 record which is second worst in the Western Conference. As such, I wish I was here to be the bearer of a little bit of good news this time. Unfortunately, such couldn’t be further from the truth.
After leaving the game against Los Angeles early with a rib contusion, it has been announced that Donovan Mitchell will miss the Jazz’s upcoming bout against the Sacramento Kings. Donovan played just 11 minutes against the Lakers, and considering how close that contest ended up, Mitchell’s absence very likely cost Utah the game.
Having him out against Sacramento is a very daunting prospect. The Kings abused the Jazz the last time these two teams met by out-running them in transition and bullying them in the paint. Sacramento is off to a surprisingly solid start so far this year, and it will likely be hard for Utah’s stagnant offense to keep pace with a Kings O that has been prolific this year.
Donovan Mitchell is OUT for Sunday’s game vs. Kings. Mitchell suffered a rib contusion Friday vs. Lakers, and participated in portions of Saturday’s practice, but will not play.
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) November 25, 2018
That’s especially true without Donovan Mitchell, who is Utah’s leading scorer and sole true creator that can get a shot on his own. Based on the Jazz’s recent play, I had already projected Sacramento to come out on top in this one. I’m leaning even more that way with Donovan out of the mix. I simply don’t know who the Jazz are going to turn to in order to score. No one on the team has been reliable whatsoever up to this point.
The Jazz do have the fortune of catching the Kings on the second night of a back-to-back following a hard-fought road bout against the Golden State Warriors. Sacramento had chances to win that contest, but ultimately fell by a single point in a contest that saw Kevin Durant explode for 44 points. Ideally, the Jazz will benefit from facing a Sacramento team with tired legs, but between their youthfulness and the energy that the upstart Kings have on their home court, I’m not counting on that being much help, especially sans Mitchell.
Therefore, the Jazz are in real danger of falling to 8-12 on this second game of a two-game road stint unless somebody, or perhaps better put, several players step up considerably. Utah has talent outside of Mitchell, but none of them have really been able to put it together with or without him.
Utah Jazz: If it lingers, Donovan Mitchell injury could mean bad times https://t.co/qz1ZWC4u62
— Rev. Ryan Aston (@RyanAston) November 24, 2018
The lone bit of good news is that Mitchell did indeed participate in portions of practice on Saturday meaning that his long-term prognosis could very well be not all that bad. I don’t think it’s out of the question at all to believe that Donovan could suit up for Utah’s home bout against the Indiana Pacers on Monday. With Victor Oladipo very likely to sit out yet again in that contest, and both Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis ailing somewhat, that contest could be a great opportunity for Utah to bounce back, particularly if Mitchell does return.
However, just last week the Jazz failed to capitalize on Oladipo’s absence in Indianapolis, so even if he or others can’t suit up, Utah can’t take it for granted.
For now, though, we’ll take things one game at a time. We know that Mitchell won’t be playing against Sacramento, and that’s making for a very discouraging outlook for Sunday’s contest. The Jazz still have time to turn things around, but if they don’t act quick, this season could very well slip through their fingers.
The Jazz and Kings tip-off Sunday evening at 6:00 PM MT.