National Basketball Association
The health of Donovan Mitchell and Chris Paul could swing the West playoffs
National Basketball Association

The health of Donovan Mitchell and Chris Paul could swing the West playoffs

Published May. 27, 2021 6:30 p.m. ET

The NBA Playoffs are a playground for superstars.

Every year, the NBA's biggest stars use the postseason platform as a chance to enhance their legacies.

But just as much as there is to be gained on the NBA's brightest stage, it can also be a source of heartbreak and agony. So far that has already been the case for some of the NBA's biggest names in the first round of the playoffs.

The Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns are the top two seeds in the Western Conference Playoffs and also happen to have the top two records in the entire league.

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But while the regular season may have been smooth sailing for both teams, they have also been impacted by injuries that led to losses to their lower-seeded opponents.

For the second-seeded Suns, there is the right shoulder injury that All-Star point guard Chris Paul suffered just minutes into Game 1 of their series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Paul's play was clearly impacted, but he was able to play through the injury in helping the Suns take Game 1.

In Game 2, however, Paul was a shell of himself, scoring just six points and dishing out five assists in 23 minutes of play. He sat for most of the fourth quarter due to his ineffectiveness.

It was a decision that Suns head coach Monty Williams had to make to save his future Hall of Fame point guard from himself, while also giving his team the best chance to win.

Paul has been one of the NBA's best point guards and top playoff performers of his generation, with career playoff averages of 20.7 points and 8.2 assists while shooting 48% from the field and 37% from 3-point range. 

But this latest ailment is just the most recent in a long history of injuries that have impacted his postseason play.

And then there are the Jazz and the case of Donovan Mitchell, who had been sidelined since April 16 with an ankle sprain.

Mitchell was expected to play in Game 1 after sitting out the previous five and a half weeks, but he was held out, and his absence was felt in a 112-109 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

After the game, Jazz players were not pleased with the decision from the team's training staff to hold their All-Star out of Game 1, with Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert voicing their confusion with the decision.

Mitchell himself even voiced his displeasure through his Twitter account.

The story was different for the Jazz in Game 2, as Mitchell was cleared to play and made an immediate impact for his team.

He scored 25 points in just 26 minutes of play, leading the Jazz in scoring on their way to a 141-129 series-tying win.

And as Zach Kram of The Ringer pointed out, Mitchell's availability makes a world of difference for the Jazz, especially if they were to advance past the Grizzlies.

"If Utah advances to the second round, Mitchell won’t be the best scorer on the court against either the Mavericks, with Luka Doncic, or the Clippers, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

"But Mitchell offers a singular scoring dynamic for this Utah roster. The nine-man rotation features five creators, all with different skill sets: Mitchell, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Jordan Clarkson. Unique among that group are Mitchell’s one-on-one ability and shotmaking panache — crucial skills at the end of close playoff games. Mitchell had by far the team’s highest usage rate in clutch situations this season."

The difference between advancing and being eliminated in the playoffs is minuscule and oftentimes can come down to who has the best health at the most important time of the season.

For the Jazz and the Suns, they are looking that reality in the face early this postseason, and whether their star guards can battle through their ailments will determine just how long each team lasts.

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