After a 25-game struggle with injuries to key players, the Utah Jazz finally look on the verge of becoming healthy.
Since we found out in the preseason that Gordon Hayward would miss time with a broken finger, we knew it would be something that would nag him for the remainder of the season, similar to LaMarcus Aldridge’s thumb injury two years back. Even still, we thought this would be a minor problem made almost invisible by the talent around him. But sadly, the talent around him has not seen the court too often this season thanks to the injury bug that’s munched its way through the locker room.
After an incredible, all-star caliber start to the season, George Hill suffered a sprained right thumb in the first of a five game road trip against the Knicks. At first, the injury was considered ‘day-to-day’, but this wasn’t the case as he finally made his return to the lineup 17 days later.
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The moment Hill returned to the lineup, he was locked in and playing his best basketball on both ends of the floor. The difference he made to the team’s success was undoubtedly huge; the Jazz won all four games during that stretch. Despite injuries to other players, things were looking up for the Jazz, but a sprained big toe on his right foot sidelined Hill once again and he is going to miss his seventh consecutive game against the Thunder on Wednesday night.
The good news for Jazz fans is that George Hill recently shed his walking boot and is expected to return to training this week, and hopefully to the court the week after.
Rodney Hood has missed three games so far in December because of hamstring soreness and is questionable to play against the Thunder. While Hood’s offensive numbers haven’t seen much improvement over last season, the Jazz’s win-loss record states that his presence is as important as ever. The Jazz have a 1-3 record this season in Hood’s absence.
Recent reports have shown that Dante Exum‘s poor performances of late could have been influenced by knee tendonitis which could keep him out against Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Although his stats have not shown any leap in his performance, he is getting to the rim with ease and finding spots on the floor to take open shots. Those shots aren’t falling at this point but I do sense a big turnaround with his game in upcoming weeks.
Jazz fans have been desperately awaiting this day for a long time and it’s finally upon us; Derrick Favors has finally been cleared to play. It is currently unclear whether he will start or come off the bench but it is known that he will have his minutes restricted. With Favors’ return awaiting, Boris Diaw and Trey Lyles will have their minutes trimmed slightly but Jeff Withey will be affected most and return to playing very limited minutes.
We finally have a timetable on the return of Alec Burks although it is not a very precise one. Head coach Quin Snyder said on November 24th that he expected Alec to miss the next 1-2 months. From what I understand, Alec is progressing through his recovery quite well and could make his return as early as next week.
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A three-day break from a strenuous NBA season could not have come at a better time as far as the Jazz are concerned. It gives players time to rest and recover without being impacted in the standings.
To sum up, the Jazz injury list currently consists of Derrick Favors (bruised knee, cleared to play limited minutes against the Thunder), Dante Exum (knee tendonitis, questionable to play against the Thunder), Rodney Hood (hamstring soreness, questionable to play against the Thunder), George Hill (sprained toe, out for 1-2 weeks) and Alec Burks (ankle, out for 2-4 weeks).
All information regarding injuries courtesy of Rotoworld and ESPN.