The Cleveland Cavaliers could be without yet another key player in their next game with Caris LeVert listed as questionable for their meeting with the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
Caris LeVert (knee) now listed questionable Saturday.
— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) December 23, 2023
LeVert has tendonitis in his left knee. If Cleveland’s sixth man were to miss the game, he would join starters Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley on the sidelines. In addition, Sam Merrill, who has had some good games lately, is also listed as questionable with a sprained right wrist.
Mitchell will miss the game against the Bulls because of an illness. It will be his third straight game missed.
The All-Star looked to injure his shoulder during the final moments of an overtime victory against the Houston Rockets on Monday. He crashed into the basket stanchion while trying to save the ball at the end line. He said he would be okay to play against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday but ultimately missed the meeting against his former team due to his illness.
Garland and Mobley are each out long term for the Cavs after sustaining injuries earlier this month.
The guard has a fractured jaw that was suffered on Dec. 14, and he is expected to be evaluated again in a few weeks. Meanwhile, the big man has a knee injury that required surgery, and he has a recovery timetable of several weeks. He has not played since Dec. 6.
LeVert’s minutes have remained relatively consistent in the midst of the injuries to his teammates. After managing his own left knee injury, he returned to action on Dec. 12 and is averaging 15.8 points, 4.2 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game in his six appearances since then.
Merrill notably stepped up in the absence of the three starters and led the Cavs with 27 points in their victory over the Jazz after scoring 19 points against the Rockets. However, he did not score while playing only 12 minutes in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday that ended a three-game winning streak.
The Cavs are taking a 16-13 record into play against the Bulls, and despite the up-and-down nature of Cleveland’s season so far, the organization reportedly maintains a strong belief in the team going forward.
