If the injury bugs have their way, we may never know how good this Utah Jazz team can be.
Sure, they have the fourth-best record in the Western Conference, but they could be even better. They rank in the top five of the league in value lost to injuries this season, according to NBA Man Games lost, so it’s reasonable to think they can reach another level if they ever get healthy.
Emphasis on if.
Derrick Favors has once again fallen victim to the rash of injuries permeating the roster. He’s missed the last two games with a knee issue that has since been diagnosed as a bone contusion, per the Salt Lake Tribune‘s Tony Jones:
Derrick Favors underwent an MRI and has been diagnosed with a bone contusion in his left knee. He is out tomorrow night
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) March 13, 2017
Favors will be reevaluated later in the week
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) March 13, 2017
These injuries are typically minor, and the Jazz have often shown they’re at their best when surrounding Rudy Gobert with four wings, so Favors’ absence, however long it lasts, shouldn’t be crippling.
Still, it’s a hindrance, especially with Gobert battling through his own knee injury. He missed the Jazz’s Saturday afternoon loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, though he did play Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Injuries are part and parcel of every team’s season, and the Jazz, at full strength, aren’t built to get through the Golden State Warriors. At this rate, though, we’ll never know what they can or can’t actually be, because we just haven’t seen enough of their full-strength roster to do anything other than project. Knowing what they’ve been able to accomplish anyway, that’s a damn shame.
