Utah Jazz bigman Boris Diaw to miss two weeks due to right leg contusion

The Utah Jazz made some big moves in the off-season. They made a trade for point guard George Hill, and he has been the undisputed leader powering this squad to win after win after win while Gordon Hayward is out. Utah also made a little but significant splash in free agency when they napped seven time All-Star scorer Joe Johnson. And he has been clutch in crunch time. His efforts almost stole a game early in the season and his play down the stretch has helped the team win games. The third in the three-headed-vet-monster that Dennis Lindsey created this off-season was versatile bigman Boris Diaw. Diaw is a champion and has played basketball that matters on several continents. He knows how to win, and he is usually listed as one of the smartest basketball players NBA coaches have ever seen. One thing Utah Jazz fans haven’t seen much of this year is of Boris on the court.

And it looks like he’s going to miss some more time as well.

ESPN Staff Writer, Tim MacMahon, reports that:

Jazz PF/C Boris Diaw is likely to miss two weeks with a right leg contusion, a source said. With Derrick Favors still on a minutes restriction, 20-year-old Trey Lyles will continue to have an increased role.

Tim MacMahon, ESPN, 2016

Okay, so that sucks. But it does mean more time immediately for Trey Lyles, and potentially Jeff Withey. Joel Bolomboy? Maybe down the line, but he was assigned to the Salt Lake City Stars — but he could be recalled at any moment.

No Diaw also means more of our small forwards shifting over to power forward, guys like Joe Johnson and Joe Ingles have spent some time there already this season and they have spread the floor and allowed for greater penetration opportunities for Hill and Rodney Hood.

Two weeks isn’t very long, but it’s a leg contusion and you don’t want it to get worse. Resting Diaw now benefits the team because it helps get some of these other guys more suited to playing that stretch role. Boris has played enough basketball that he can fit in wherever he is needed. I was worried about his defensive inability early on this season. Getting healthy should help that out as well.

Get well soon, Boris. But get fully well, don’t rush back. Lindsey’s depth and Quin Snyder’s sets mean Utah can get by early on without you. And after all, Derrick Favors will play himself out of minutes restrictions during the next two weeks, so this should be a non-issue going forward.