TheMiami Heat snapped their three-game losing streak and recorded their 21st win of the season. However, the big night was soured by a concerning update about their starting guard. Davion Mitchell, who has been one of the Heat’s best defensive players this season, headed back to the locker room with an apparent injury and didn’t return to the game.
Mitchell left the game in the third quarter with an apparent left shoulder contusion. The Heat guard was hurt after he ran into Mark Williams’s hard screen for his fourth foul. The Heat’s medical staff consulted him for a few minutes on the bench, but soon after, he exited to the locker room. Dru Smith replaced him for the rest of the contest.
Mitchell has slowly stepped into the primary point guard role this season and leads his team in assists this season. Before exiting the game, Mitchell had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists in 18 minutes. Miami entered the game with a healthy roster on Tuesday.
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However, it appears that Mitchell will be out for a few games following the injury. There is no immediate update on his future status. Erik Spoelstra will use Smith or Pelle Larsson to fill Mitchell’s position.
Mitchell has been huge for Miami this season. He has been one of their best defenders and their leading ball distributor. While the Heat has continued to struggle with consistency this season, in his second season with the team, Mitchell has made his presence felt.
Davion Mitchell has been a perfect fit for the Heat culture in Miami
It’s not everybody’s cup of tea to play and successfully fit in Miami Heat culture. The everyday demand of ruggedness and defiance can quickly become exhausting for most players in the game. However, when Davion Mitchell arrived from Toronto in the Jimmy Butler trade, he fit right into the team.
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When he became a restricted free agent during last offseason, Miami didn’t waste any time giving him $24 million.
Last year, when he arrived in Miami, Mitchell’s energy quickly resonated with Miami fans. He is tenacious, and on his off nights, the Heat guard can use his attacking defense to shut down the best players in the game, as Anthony Edwards can attest. It seemed like Heat and Mitchell both found each other through that trade.
“I think it’s the Heat culture thing,” he said about quickly becoming the Heat fans’ favorite. “They embrace playing really hard, and I think that’s what I bring to the game every single game, every moment of the game, I’m playing hard until the last second. So they just love players who just go out there and give it their all.”
His impact has been visible on the overall Heat’s game, and it has been highly positive. When he joined the Heat last season from Toronto, under Spoelstra, his assist numbers immediately increased, and he averaged a career-high in points.
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This season, while his offense continues to grow, he is having a career year in assists. With Mitchell on the floor, Miami’s offensive rating increases by over 7 points, and their net rating goes up by +4.74 points.
With the first half of the season approaching, the Heat seems to have made the best with that kind of money spent on Mitchell. He has metamorphosed himself into the team’s offense lineup and still matches the Heat’s energy with his defensive mindset.
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