Rudy Gobert Injury Update: Utah Jazz Star Expected To Miss Time Following ‘Dirty Play’
The Utah Jazz recently gave fans a Rudy Gobert injury update following the NBA All-Star’s knee injury. Gobert was hurt on Friday night and needed to get an MRI following a collision with Dion Waiters. Here’s the latest on Rudy Gobert’s status as far as the knee injury and how long he’ll be sidelined for.
Per ESPN‘s report, Gobert’s knee injury will have the big man out of action for at least four weeks. He was evaluated following the collision with Dion Waiters on Friday night and had an MRI following the injury. It was determined that Gobert had a right tibia contusion or bone bruise. After four weeks, he’ll be re-evaluated to determine whether he’s ready to return to the basketball court. At most he could be out six weeks.
Gobert suffered the injury in just the third quarter of Friday’s game against the Miami Heat. The All-Star had been trying to chase down a loose ball but ended up in a collision with guard Dion Waiters. It was said after Gobert “limped off the court” following the collision that he described what happened as a “dirty play.” Due to the injury, he sat out of Saturday night’s Jazz game which ended up being a victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
As of this report, Utah has a 6-7 overall record and are sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference’s Northwest division. Gobert has averaged a double-double so far this season with 13.9 points and a team-leading 10.5 rebounds per game. He’s also leading the team in blocks with 2.5 on average per game, making him one of the top defenders in the NBA.
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
While Gobert was able to play in every game as a starter but one last season, he missed 18 games back in the 2015-16 NBA season due to a sprained MCL. This latest injury seems to put him on the sideline for a similar span of time as that injury two seasons ago. As seen in the tweet below, Gobert seems to suggest that maybe Waiters wasn’t trying to get the loose ball on the play but intentionally took out his knee.
According to the Sun Sentinel, Waiters has since replied to Gobert’s claim, saying that he’s never been a dirty player. Waiters also added, “I went for the ball. Tell him to get out of his feelings and that’s what it is, just like that”
Dove for the ball right… https://t.co/0xnXZVy2eG
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) November 11, 2017
The Utah Jazz were already struggling, but without their rim protector and inside presence, they could be looking for more losses in the coming weeks. Next up on the schedule will be a home game on Monday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. With Rudy Gobert out due to his injury status, it could be a good time for fantasy basketball owners to start Karl-Anthony Towns.
[Featured Image by Rick Bowmer/AP Images]
