Utah Jazz prospect Kevin Huerter to be sidelined two months

Intriguing Utah Jazz prospect Kevin Huerter underwent hand surgery and is expected to be sidelined for two months.

As if the NBA Draft wasn’t already full of hard decisions as it is, a promising prospect getting injured is a quick way to throw a further wrench into things. Unfortunately, such just so happens to be the case with a promising Utah Jazz prospect – Kevin Huerter out of Maryland.

Huerter has already made several headlines in relation to the Jazz. First of all, he cancelled his pre-draft workout in Salt Lake City because he wanted to head back home and discuss his draft decision with his parents. Considering that his workout with the Jazz was so close to the deadline for officially declaring for the draft, it stood to reason that he’d take time to seek such trusted advice.

Of course, shortly thereafter, he announced that he would remain in the draft, a fact which undoubtedly piqued the interest of the Jazz organization. Not only had they shown their potential interest in him by scheduling him for a workout, but local media had frequently mentioned him as a player very much on Utah’s radar.

After that, Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo indicated in a mock draft that he perceived that it was the Utah Jazz who had extended Huerter a first-round draft promise. While that was later denied by several close to the Jazz, it was still an interesting connection.

Following a solid season at Maryland, an impressive combine performance and strong workouts, Huerter’s stock had been rising significantly until many mock drafts had him actually being snatched up prior to Utah’s No. 21 selection. However, recent events could potentially cause that to change.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi, Kevin Huerter underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right hand. The surgery will keep him sidelined for a predicted two months.

There’s risks that come with any draft prospect, but having to throw recovery from injury into the mix could very well scare some teams away from selecting him. If such were the case, and the Jazz were dead set on selecting Huerter, it could very well work out in their favor.

The Jazz would of course be potentially taking a risk themselves by then drafting him, but the fact that it isn’t a knee, ankle or any more serious problem, and that Huerter should be good to go by training camp makes it less of a bold move. Conversely, other teams that are high on Huerter may very well be willing to look right past this minor setback as well.

Next: Utah Jazz 2018 NBA Draft Profile: Landry Shamet

So perhaps Huerter’s surgery and two-month recovery time will have little to no impact on his stock. Or maybe it will completely alter his landing spot. Either way, expect him to be a very real consideration for the Jazz if he’s available when they select at No. 21.