James Harden's Broken Thumb

During the Cavs 109-94 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday, James Harden suffered a fracture in his right thumb. It has been reported that he will not need surgery for this injury, and he will try to play through it. Harden played Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets for the first time since the injury and he played well. Harden put up 22 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in the win.

If the team is certain that he can’t make this injury worse by playing through it, then I don’t see an issue with him doing so. But, if Harden has any struggles going forward because of this thumb, the Cavaliers will need to consider resting him. Harden is one of the core four players that this roster simply can’t compete for a championship without, so they’re going to need him at 100% as we head towards the post season.

I would much rather have the team rest him to prevent the risk of making things worse, but if Harden can keep playing like he did today, and the medical staff is confident that it can’t get any worse, then this shouldn’t be too much of an issue for the rest of the season.

Donovan Mitchell's Groin Strain

Donovan Mitchell has missed the Cavaliers' last three games with a strained right groin. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said that this isn’t a serious injury, so he shouldn’t miss too much more time. The team is clearly already being very cautious with Mitchell, so I’m fairly confident they won’t try to bring him back until he’s 100% recovered. Donovan is very clearly the Cavaliers' best player, so they have to keep him out as long as it takes for him to be at his best. Mitchell has had some groin injuries in the past that have caused him to struggle a bit.

Cleveland is currently sitting as the four seed in the Eastern Conference, and they’re one game behind the Knicks for third. Seeding really doesn’t need to be a priority for the Cavs, so they should be as careful as possible with the two superstar guards. The fourth or fifth seed is probably the best place for them anyway, as their second round opponent would likely be the Detroit Pistons instead of the Boston Celtics who could be bringing back Jayson Tatum in the next few weeks.

Final Thoughts

Last year’s playoff run was completely derailed by the injury that Darius Garland suffered at the end of the regular season. The Cavaliers need to make sure they get to the playoffs at full strength this year. Having the top seed last season didn’t do them any good last season, so if the team has to lose a few more games the rest of the way to make sure they go into the playoffs fully healthy, then they need to do it regardless of the seeding implications. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are two guys that the Cavaliers have no chance of winning a playoff series without, so the top priority for the rest of this season has to be the health of those two guards.