Early Season Injuries
So at this point, should we just bank on the Jazz NEVER being able to stay healthy? In each of the last several seasons, the Utah Jazz have been wildly affected by injuries. Last year, Rudy Gobert missed much of the season, as did Ricky Rubio. The year before that, the whole team missed stretches, including George Hill, Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors. The year prior, it was Rudy’s turn once again along with Favors and others.
In short, it’s been like a revolving door at the hospital wing with patients entering as quickly as they leave. The Jazz just haven’t been able to stay healthy. Unfortunately, they don’t appear to be bucking that trend anytime soon as they’ve already had to deal with significant absences.
Alec Burks is out with a hand injury, Derrick Favors has missed some time and, of course, worst of all, Donovan Mitchell recently suffered a hamstring injury which held him out of the end of the game against the Timberwolves (likely costing his team the game) and out of the entirety of an ugly loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
Utah has been so banged up over the last few years and it has left them falling quite short of their “what could have been” potential. We’re only eight games in, but it’s already starting to feel like such might very well end up the case once again in 2018-19.