The Jazz are hoping Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert will put their tension behind them and help Utah make a deep playoff run.
But if the season resumes, the Jazz will face another complication – the absence of Bojan Bogdanovic.
Jazz release:Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic will undergo season-ending wrist surgery.
Bogdanovic hurt his right wrist sometime in 2019 and the injury continued to bother him throughout the season. With the campaign suspended, the forward consulted with multiple medical professionals and the decision was made to surgically repair the ruptured scapholunate ligament.
Bogdanovic is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday in New York.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Utah Jazz F Bojan Bogdanovic is undergoing season-ending surgery on his right wrist, sources tell ESPN. Full recovery expected for start of 2020-21 season. He's averaged 20 points per game for Jazz, fourth-seed in West.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 18, 2020
An expectation Bogdanovic will be ready to begin next season means only so much. Who knows when next season will begin considering the ongoing coronavirus pandemic? It could be October as usual if the current season is canceled. It could be December. It could be even later. I don’t know what Wojnarowski’s sources are expecting.
The Jazz made a big push – at significant long-term cost – to accelerate their rise. That included signing Bogdanovic to a four-year, $73.1 million contract.
Now, it’s even less likely Utah will reap the rewards.
Mike Conley has underwhelmed. The season might be over. Now, Bogdanovic – who played well – is sidelined.
Joe Ingles and Royce O’Neale can step up at forward, but neither has Bogdanovic’s scoring punch. That puts even more of the load on Mitchell. Can the Jazz make enough defensive gains to offset that? Remember, they signed Bogdanovic to alleviate the offensive burden on Mitchell. They knew that was important.
Utah’s season just isn’t going to plan.
