Davion Mitchell will not compete in Rising Stars Challenge, out with hand contusion

Sacramento will no be represented at Cleveland’s All-Star celebrations this year.

The Sacramento Kings will no longer be represented in the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities happening in Cleveland this weekend, as Shams Charania of The Athletic announced Thursday morning that Davion Mitchell would no longer be participating in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night.

In his place, Denver Nuggets rookie Bones Hyland will join Team Payton and replace Mitchell in the Clorox Skills Challenge as well. Mitchell was a replacement in that role to begin with, but was a lock in the rookie roster that debuted at the end of January.

Mitchell missed Wednesday night’s game vs. the Chicago Bulls with a hand contusion, having most likely garnered in the game prior when the Kings faced the new-look Brooklyn Nets. Mitchell was listed as questionable on the injury report throughout the entirety of game day, and was not scratched from the lineup until Gentry announced it 90 minutes before the start of the game.

Without Mitchell and with the departure of Tyrese Haliburton, the Kings will not have any irons in the fire at the 75-year anniversary celebration. It’s a bummer that we won’t get to see Mitchell in what could have been Summer League 2.0, putting his statement clamps on other young talent in the showcase.

However, giving Mitchell the opportunity to sit out and rest will be most important as Sacramento looks to capitalize on this final stretch of the regular season. The self-proclaimed ‘gym-rat’ will return to action most likely following the All-Star break next week.