Utah Jazz Roster, Injury News 2017: Rodney Hood Suffers Left Calf Strain, Status Is Day-to-Day
Utah Jazz shooting guard Rodney Hood was penciled in as the team's go-to scorer this season after Gordon Hayward left, but someone else would have to step up and carry the scoring load in the next few games because he's currently dealing with an injury to his left leg.
The fourth-year pro sustained the injury midway through the fourth quarter in their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night after he stepped on Karl-Anthony's Towns foot and he had to be carried off the court by his teammates.
The injury looked serious and some have even speculated that it might be an Achilles tendon injury. Fortunately, Hood managed to avoid serious injury on the play. He was diagnosed with a left calf strain after the game and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam confirmed the initial diagnosis. Hood's status is day-to-day.
"I've kind of conditioned myself not to jump to conclusions about these things one way or another," Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said, via the Salt Lake Tribune. "Sometimes when they don't look as bad, you kind of feel like, 'Oh, it's not that bad,' and then it ends up to be worse," he continued.
Hood will have to miss some games early on this season, but at least he won't be gone for long. The Jazz already lost guard Dante Exum after he suffered a separated left shoulder and they can't afford to lose Hood for an extended amount of time. As of the moment, the Jazz still don't have a timetable for his return
"He's still got to do the work and get back. I don't know exactly how long it is going to take, but hopefully we will have him back in due time," Snyder stated.
Rudy Gobert, Ricky Rubio, Derrick Favors and Joe Ingles will have to score more while Hood is out, and Donovan Mitchell should continue to start until he returns.
