The Jazz set to miss several players including Rudy Gobert, who enters in Covid-19 Protocol
The Western Conference 3rd placed Utah Jazz has been very consistent with their performance so far, and able to deal with minor injury issues on a timely basis with their deep squad. However, the current situation has been troublesome for the team.
Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson are sidelined with a back problem but are expected to make an early return for the team. Mike Conley and Royce O’Neale are facing knee issues, where the star guard is certain to be out till 8th January.
Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gay are also not 100% game fit for the Jazz. Having 6 main players out was already a major concern for the team, but now Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles’ addition to the list of players in NBA COVID-19 protocol puts more pressure on the remaining players.
The Jazz have signed Danuel House Jr. on a 10-day contract to lessen the load on their regular players.
Rudy Gobert Stats and impact of his absence
Utah Jazz has a very deep squad in terms of quality. They have 2 top performers for nearly every position on the court. But Rudy Gobert is an irreplaceable one. Gobert clocks 2nd highest minutes per game for the Jazz and is their primary player at the center.
He averages above 15 rebounds per game, leading all NBA in the category. 2nd highest rebounds average for the Jazz is 7 by Hassan Whiteside. The huge difference highlights the importance of Gobert in the team.
Gobert also averages 2.3 blocks per game – just behind Myles Turner this season. He even contributes to the Jazz offense with 15+ points and 2 assists per game. With such impressive performances, he seems quite irreplaceable.
Also, it is interesting that so “consistent-team” has a comparatively poor record of 38-53 without their star center. But as per reports Gobert is expected to make his return on 12th January and may be available for the home game against the Cavs.
Till then Jazz will be playing 3 away games against other eastern conference teams – the Raptors, the Pacers, the Pistons. Those might possibly be easy wins except the tricky Toronto team.
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