NBA Rumors: Donovan Mitchell Eying Return to Cavs from Injuries as Soon as Friday

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell is reportedly planning to return as soon as Friday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Mitchell is on the "cusp of return" from a knee injury and nasal fracture. He has played only two games in the month of March due to the ailments.

Cleveland has dropped six of its last nine games and is barely hanging on to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with 10 games remaining. The New York Knicks trail Cleveland by just 0.5 games, and the Orlando Magic are hanging around one game behind.

Mitchell's continued absence could put the Cavs in danger of losing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The All-Star guard is averaging 27.4 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game in his second season in Cleveland.

The Cavs have spent significant time this season without Mitchell (23 games), Darius Garland (24 games) and Evan Mobley (32 games), which has held them back from competing at their highest potential. All three Cleveland stars have been in the lineup only 23 times this season.

The Cavs are heading into a stretch where five of their next seven games come against current playoff teams. Six of their next seven overall are on the road, so getting Mitchell back will be paramount to locking up a high seed.