Jazz's Donovan Mitchell to Have MRI on Ankle Injury Suffered vs. Pacers

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell will undergo an MRI after suffering a right ankle sprain during Friday's contest against the Indiana Pacers.

Mitchell had 22 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes prior to exiting. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported his initial X-rays came back negative.

Any absence for Mitchell is a concern for the Jazz. He is the leading scorer of one of the top teams in the NBA.

The guard was placed in the concussion protocol in January and missed two games, but he hasn't missed more than five contests in a season since entering the league in 2017.

Mitchell has averaged 26.5 points and 5.3 assists per game in 2020-21 while earning his second straight All-Star selection.

The 24-year-old averaged at least 20 points per game in each of his first three years. After posting 24.0 points, 5.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2019-20, he signed a five-year extension in the offseason worth up to $195 million.

Utah takes a step back when the guard isn't available, although it is more important to protect the player's long-term well-being. The Jazz also have more backcourt depth than in past years with Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley able to take on a bigger scoring role with Mitchell out.