For the second time this season, the Utah Jazz will be without center Rudy Gobert for an extended amount of time. The 25-year-old left Friday's game against the Boston Celtics and MRI results later revealed the damage in his knee and to the area surrounding it.
Gobert missed four weeks earlier this season with a bone bruise in his right knee. The team initially placed a four-to-six week timetable for his return. Now, Gobert is dealing with a bone bruise and ligament damage in his left knee.
This season in nearly 30 minutes per game, Gobert averaged 11.6 points per game on a .598 field goal percentage. Offensive isn't his game as much as defense and rebounding, though he's also seen a slight drop in that department. In 17 games, Gobert averaged 9.6 rebounds, significantly lower than the 12.8 rebounds per game he averaged last season, while his blocks per game also dropped slightly form 2.6 in 2016 to 2.3 blocks per night this season.
In Gobert's absence, Derrick Favors is expected to see extended minutes and take the starting center spot. However, Favors suffered an eye laceration recently and his status is currently day-to-day. Within a few days, Favors will be back in the lineup and should be plugged into daily lineups with the surge in minutes.