Utah Jazz's star Gordon Hayward did not suit up in their game against the Golden State Warriors because of a swollen left ring finger. Hayward hurt his finger in their 112-105 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Hayward fractured the same finger in the offseason, which forced him to miss training camp and the first six games of the season. Since returning from the injury, he helped the Jazz win 11 of the 17 games he's played in. He also was a key factor in them being ranked as the number one defense in the league right now.
He has scored 22+ points or more in the past 9 games where the Jazz went 7-2. He's averaging career-highs in points (23.1) and rebounds (6.4) while shooting an efficient 44.4 percent from the field.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder opted to sit Hayward against the Warriors because his finger is still swollen. "Gordon has been playing with a broken finger," Snyder said. "It's healing, but that's why it's braced. Frankly, I thought he re-broke it. He thought he re-broke it," he added.
The Jazz are 14-10 and sitting in seventh place in the western conference. Last season, they missed getting the eighth seed by just one game. This season, they are expected to make a playoff appearance, but for that to be a reality, they need everybody to be healthy.
Hayward joins fellow starters George Hill (toe), Rodney Hood (hamstring) and Derrick Favors (knee) in the sideline. Rudy Gobert is the only healthy starter and he will have to step up at both ends of the floor to keep the Jazz afloat while others are out.
An X-Ray revealed no damaged structure on Hayward's finger. The Jazz are just playing it safe because they don't want to reaggravate the injury. There is no timetable for his return. If he misses more time, Snyder will most likely slide Joe Johnson at the small forward spot along with Boris Diaw, Gobert, Dante Exum, and Shelvin Mack.
