How long is Donovan Mitchell out for Cavaliers? Cleveland's latest update on 5x NBA All-Star's injury

Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the midst of an impressive season that currently sees the team sitting in third place in the East. With the postseason in sight, the team is eager to close out the year strong before beginning their quest to capture an NBA title. This week, however, disaster struck in their Mar. 16 clash with the Houston Rockets.

During the second half off the cross-conference matchup, Donovan Mitchell went to the locker room with a facial injury. The blow, which came in the third quarter of the game, left many wondering whether or not the young guard would return.

Despite Mitchell playing 26 minutes in the loss, he was then ruled out for the team's March 18 game with the Indiana Pacers. This week, following a period of uncertainty the Cavaliers released an update on their star player, indicating he had suffered a fractured nose, and would be re-evaluated in one week.

According to the team, Donovan Mitchell also notably underwent a medical procedure to realign his nose in order to ensure proper healing. Check out the statement from the team in regard to the injury, below:

"Donovan Mitchell sustained a nasal fracture at Houston on March 16 and missed the Cavaliers' next game at Indiana on March 18. A medical procedure was performed this morning at Cleveland Clinic to realign the affected area.

"Mitchell will be reevaluated in approximately one week and his status will be updated as appropriate."

Looking at a potential return timeline for Donovan Mitchell with the end of the season in sight

As the Cleveland Cavaliers' report indicated, Mitchell will be reevaluated in one week's time, meaning that he's expected to return well before the end of the season. Of course, with that in mind, the timeline for star's return could be pushed back depending on how his recovery goes.

Given the projected timeline, we can look at the Cavaliers' schedule in order to get an idea of when Mitchell will return. One week from today would put Mitchell's return on March 26 at the earliest.

This would mean that Donovan Mitchell would miss the Cavaliers' next four games, with the Cavs playing Miami on 3/20, and the T-Wolves on 3/22. In addition the team will then play against Miami again on 3/24, before playing Charlotte on 3/25.

The team's next game will then be a rematch with the Hornets in Charlotte on 3/27. Considering the Hornets are among the worst teams in the league, the Cavaliers could decide to err on the side of caution and keep their young star out for one more game.

If this were to be the case, and Mitchell doesn't return for the 3/27 game with Charlotte, the team could play the Philadelphia 76ers on 3/29. This would give him eight games to return to form before the end of the season.

Considering the Cavaliers are expected to clinch a playoff berth, by the time the postseason comes around expect Mitchell to be at 100%.