Cavs' Donovan Mitchell Joins Joel Embiid, More Stars Ineligible for MVP, All-NBA

Donovan Mitchell won't be on any All-NBA teams this season no matter how he performs down the stretch.

As Brett Siegel of Clutch Points highlighted, Mitchell joined a list of some of the NBA's brightest stars who have missed too many games to be eligible for MVP and All-NBA consideration. The Cleveland Cavaliers guard did not play in Monday's contest against the Phoenix Suns because of a knee injury:

Joel Embiid is the most notable name on the list as the reigning MVP, but Mitchell has played at an All-NBA level at times this season and is averaging 28.0 points, 6.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from deep.

Given that individual production and Cleveland's position in the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, he surely would have been a candidate to be on one of the All-NBA teams.

But the league put its new 65-game rule in place this season in an effort to limit load management and the resting of stars. According to the rule, any player who doesn't appear in at least 65 games cannot be recognized with MVP, Defensive Player of the Year or All-NBA honors.

Mitchell fell below the threshold Monday and hasn't played since Feb. 28 because of the knee concerns.

While he surely would have liked to be given All-NBA honors at the end of the season, he and the Cavaliers are more focused on a potential deep playoff run in the Eastern Conference. They are well-positioned for a favorable seed and just one game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 2 spot.

Having their star as healthy as possible for the playoff push is more important than risking further injury to reach the 65-game limit, especially since Cleveland's chances at a deep postseason run largely rest on Mitchell's availability.