The Utah Jazz are without Dante Exum and Rudy Gobert –two very important building blocks for their franchise. While Exum is more unproven, Gobert has been a fantastic anchor for one of the league’s top defenses when the French center is on the court. Considering the Jazz are hoping to keep building while also making the playoffs this season, the injury to a third key player, Alec Burks, was awful timing for this suddenly depleted rotation.
Burks broke his fibula against the Clippers earlier this week and is expected to miss about six weeks, with the Jazz saying he’s out indefinitely. Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune reports that Burks is opting for surgery on the fractured fibula, which will insert a plate and screws into his leg.
Speeding up the recovery process for Burks could mean getting him back before the All-Star break. With Gobert hopefully back in a couple of weeks, that could be some much needed depth and weaponry for the Jazz as they battle with other flawed West teams like Sacramento and Phoenix for a playoff spot.
Burks has been key for the Jazz during this season as a sixth man, giving them a deadly playmaker off the bench. He’s averaging 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists off the bench in 27.1 minutes. He’s played in 28 games, which surpasses the 27 he played last season before a shoulder injury ended his season. Utah is currently ahead of the Kings for the No. 8 seed.
