Big news for Utah Jazz as Donovan Mitchell listed available for Game 2 against the Memphis Grizzlies | Round 1, 2021 NBA playoffs

Without backcourt figurehead Donovan Mitchell, the Utah Jazz lost their opening game 112-109 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. His replacements Mike Conley, Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson had poor shooting performances and were unable to contain the Grizzlies guard duo of Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks.

His absence from the team was the 17th game in a row that Donovan Mitchell had missed due to an ankle injury. On Monday, there was a lot of speculation surrounding the Jazz franchise, suggesting that the 24-year-old was incensed the team had chosen to sit him out. Now it appears that his frustrations have been answered, as the most recent reports state he will be available for Game 2 on Wednesday.

Jazz's Donovan Mitchell will play in Game 2 vs. Memphis, Utah says.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 24, 2021

What Donovan Mitchell's return means for the Utah Jazz ahead of Game 2

Memphis Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks scored 31 points in game 1

It's fair to say the Memphis Grizzlies backcourt dominated proceedings on Sunday, though it was Dillon Brooks who shone while Ja Morant attracted defensive attention. Brooks, appearing in his first playoff game, oozed confidence and dropped 31 points, just two less than the Utah Jazz' starting guards combined.

Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz fanbase will be eager for him to be back in the lineup and provide help on the defensive side of proceedings, as well as his scoring. It's undeniable that the Grizzlies will have gained some level of belief that they could steal a game on the road with Utah's star player sidelined. It will have also affected the Jazz negatively since the announcement of his absence came so close to tip-off, after the player had told the media he was ready to go.

Dillon Brooks HAD HIS WAY in the @memgrizz Game 1 dub 😤31 PTS7 REB2 STL2 BLK53.4 FPTS pic.twitter.com/thczASicxk

— NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) May 24, 2021

With game 2 still on home court and with Donovan Mitchell back, the Utah Jazz will fancy their chances to level the series. Mitchell was electric all year and had his most-efficient season on offense, averaging 26.4 points and 5.2 assists. He is the player that opposition defenses fear the most when playing Utah and the attention he will draw should create open looks for the Jazz' 3-point sharpshooters.

Whether he will be able to return to the peak of his talent straight away remains to be seen. We saw on Sunday how much the LA Lakers struggled, especially their stars Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder - both of whom missed games at the end of the regular season.

Just because the Utah Jazz now have their most-reliable high-volume scorer back doesn't guarantee success. Furthermore, Dillon Brooks is a tenacious defender and drew national praise last week for his efforts against Steph Curry. His matchup with Donovan Mitchell will certainly make for an intriguing watch on Wednesday night.