CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs are bracing for a night without half their guard rotation and two rotation wings, leaving Donovan Mitchell and Craig Porter Jr. to shoulder an outsized load as the team continues navigating one of its heaviest injury stretches of the young season.
Cleveland ruled out Lonzo Ball (injury management), Darius Garland (injury management), Max Strus (foot), and Jaylon Tyson (concussion), stripping head coach Kenny Atkinson of multiple primary engines he’s relied on to organize the offense.
The timing adds a layer of complication after Atkinson recently revealed how much the staff values staggering Ball and Garland to avoid being short-handed in the backcourt.
“We obviously don’t want both of them being out on the same day,” Atkinson said before the matchup against Chicago, explaining why he played Garland in the front end of a back-to-back against the Wizards and Ball in the second.
Tonight, Atkinson and the Cavs will have to do without both of them.
And Toronto’s defense — pesky, lengthy and intent on pressuring at the point of attack — will test Cleveland’s secondary ballhandlers.
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What this means for Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell, coming off a rest game, becomes the Cavs’ central creator in a way the staff has tried to avoid for long stretches, particularly after emphasizing the importance of keeping him fresh for late-game scenarios and into the postseason.
At points, Mitchell will be responsible for orchestrating the offense, getting teammates organized, and pushing the pace when opportunities surface.
The staff will need his decision-making to be crisp from the jump. Without Garland’s pick-and-roll comfort or Ball’s tempo control, Mitchell’s reads will determine how functional the offense becomes when the game slows.
What this means for Craig Porter Jr.
Porter arrives in this moment with more trust than ever. And he earned it.
Less than 24 hours earlier, he delivered one of the most remarkable performances in franchise history in Cleveland’s improbable win over the Miami Heat.
Porter became the first player in Cavaliers history to finish a game with at least 19 points, 8 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks. He’s also only the second player in NBA history to post that line off the bench, joining Portland’s Clifford Robinson, who did it on Jan. 20, 1993.
But the 25-year-old’s passing (ending the game with nine assists) and focus defensively even when scoring just four points in the second half was pivotal to the victory.
Porter played more minutes than any Cavalier in that win, guiding the team through the fourth quarter with composure, control, and the kind of two-way command that changes how a coaching staff views his role the next time adversity hits.
He’ll get another chance tonight.
With Garland and Ball unavailable, Porter becomes the stabilizer. He’ll guide the offense when Mitchell plays off the ball, take on point-of-attack defensive matchups, and help maintain the rhythm and structure that Atkinson wants from his guard play.
The bottom line
The Cavaliers have been adamant about keeping one of their two primary point guards available to avoid nights exactly like this. With both Garland and Ball sidelined, the offensive framework shifts heavily onto Mitchell and Evan Mobley’s shoulders while relying on Porter’s poise off the bench.
This becomes a stress test for Cleveland’s backcourt depth and a window into how adaptable the system can be when the structure loses its two main organizers.
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