More bad news for the Utah Jazz.
After Miami Heat wing Dion Waiters undercut Rudy Gobert while diving for a loose ball on Friday, we now have word that Gobert will miss 4-6 weeks with a bone bruise in his right knee.
This comes as a serious blow for the Jazz, who have been holding on in the Western Conference. The team is just 6-7 as of this writing, but they sit in 9th place above the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers.
Via Twitter:
Sources: Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks with a bone bruise in his right knee. Gobert suffered the injury Friday against Miami.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 12, 2017
NOOOOOOOOO!!!! Rudy Gobert taken off the court as Dion Waiters runs into Rudy Gobert's knee. pic.twitter.com/kxFRyQkxmj
— Dave Noriega (@davenoriega) November 11, 2017
A bone bruise is less severe than a fracture of course, but it does mean some kind of notable damage. It’s relatively common in the NBA, and Gobert himself suffered a bone bruise in his left knee earlier in 2017. Diagnosed in mid-April, Gobert came back sooner than expected and helped the Jazz beat the Clippers in their first round playoff series.
Obviously the context of the playoffs likely made Gobert accelerate his plan of return. The Jazz have the rest of the season ahead of them, and they should keep their highest-paid player off the floor long enough for him to fully recover.