Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is out indefinitely with a sprained MCL, the team announced Wednesday. From the press release:
After sustaining a left knee injury during today’s practice at Zions Bank Basketball Center, Gobert underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) this afternoon at University of Utah Health Care’s Orthopaedic Center. Following the examination, Jazz physicians Dr. Travis Maak and Dr. David Petron determined that Gobert suffered a Grade II sprain of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee.
Knee injuries are scary, especially for big men, and the 7-foot-1 Gobert is one of the largest humans in the NBA. His wingspan, near 7-9, has helped him protect the rim better than anybody else in the league. Opponents are shooting 35.7 percent against him near the basket, per NBA.com.
Utah will miss Gobert on both ends of the floor, as he's a capable finisher and a huge target for alley-oops. On defense, though, the drop-off from him to Jeff Withey or Tibor Pleiss is significant. Jazz coach Quin Snyder might instead choose to go small more often and move Derrick Favors to the center spot. That's what he did when Gobert missed two games in mid-November.
The only good news here is that Gobert doesn't require surgery.
