Jazz center Rudy Gobert suffered a grade II MCL sprain in his left knee during practice and is out indefinitely. It's certainly a tough blow for a Utah team that is already missing Dante Exum for the season.
The Jazz can survive Rudy Gobert’s injury
The Jazz’s playoff hopes took a hit when their defensive anchor was ruled out indefinitely because of a knee injury, but they’re in a good position to hang on anyway.
Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
The question is whether the Jazz can play well enough to still be in the playoff picture when Gobert returns from what could be a long absence.
It won’t be easy to avoid a slide in the standings, but Utah is not doomed yet.
Derrick Favors can play center, too
Derrick Favors was the starting power forward when Gobert was healthy, but will now be forced to shift to center. Fortunately for the Jazz, the transition should be seamless, as Favors is perfectly suited to play that position. He's not as great a rim protector as Gobert, but he can contest shots well enough for the interior defense to hold up. Favors averages almost three blocks per 48 minutes when he doesn't share the court with the Stifle Tower, and is holding opponents to a very low 44 percent on attempts he contests at the rim.
Favors will be an offensive upgrade over Gobert, as well, as he’s a better dive man on the pick-and-roll and can score in the post when needed. He also takes better care of the ball despite averaging more assists per minute. Favors even has a budding mid-range jumper that he can use to create a little more space for Utah’s guards and wings to attack.
As good as Gobert is, Favors should be able to fill in for him without the Jazz losing much at the center position. Things get complicated, however, when trying to figure out who will absorb the minutes behind Favors.
The other Jazz big men are struggling
Favors was playing 31 minutes a game before Gobert's injury. He will likely get a few more now, but coach Quin Snyder will need to find a way to redistribute about 30 of Gobert's 36 minutes among the other Jazz big men. The problem is no one seems ready for a huge bump in playing time.
Trevor Booker has been the first big off the bench. He's a solid, if undersized, defender and a tough rebounder, but he's shooting 33 percent from the field. Rookie Trey Lyles has similarly struggled with his shot and the Jazz have hemorrhaged points with him on the court. Backup centers Jeff Withey and Tibor Pleiss are fringe NBA players who are better suited for a small role off the bench, where their limitations don't get exposed.
The Jazz could go play small more often with Gordon Hayward or Joe Ingles at power forward, but those units won't work against every team and will put a lot of pressure on Favors as the last line of defense.
The other big men will simply have to play better than they have so far, or the Jazz will miss Gobert dearly regardless of how Favors performs.
HOWEVA ... the Jazz are lucky the West is weaker
In most recent seasons, losing a starter as valuable as Gobert would have doomed the Jazz. That's still a real possibility, but competition for those last playoff spots is not as ruthless as in past years. Utah is currently seventh in the West standings with an 8-8 record. The Timberwolves have the last playoff spot despite being below .500. Last season it took 45 wins to get to the playoffs. This year, that number might be much lower.
Of the nine teams that are below the Jazz in the West standings, eight have negative records in their last 10 games, and ninth (the Kings) are right at .500. It's always possible for the Rockets or Pelicans to catch fire, but both have been utter disasters on defense. The Suns, Kings, Nuggets and Trail Blazers don't appear to have the talent to lap the Jazz in the race.
Other players who have suffered similar injuries to Gobert’s have been out 4-7 weeks, according to the research done by Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen. That means anything from 17 to 30 games for the Jazz. The good news is they will play at home on 13 of the next 20 and 17 of the next 30 games.
If they can get enough wins in Utah to avoid getting too deep below .500, they should be in good shape to make a push once Gobert returns. That’s certainly doable with the talent they still have.
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