Jazz Will Be Without Gobert, Mitchell; Re-Sign House Jr.

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz announced that the team will be without All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell when they face the Memphis Grizzlies tonight.

Gobert has missed the team’s last two games after suffering a strained left calf in the Jazz’s loss on Sunday to the Golden State Warriors.

Mitchell, meanwhile, will miss his sixth straight game for the Jazz after suffering a concussion on January 17 in the team’s loss to the Lakers.

The Jazz are just 2-9 in their last 11 games as they’ve been hampered by injuries and the coronavirus throughout January.

Similar roster to Wednesday nights loss to Phoenix without Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

UPDATED Jazz Injury Report (as of 1/28):

*OUT – Donovan Mitchell (Concussion Protocol)

OUT – Rudy Gobert (Left Calf Strain)

QUESTIONABLE – Trent Forrest (Right Ankle Sprain)

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) January 28, 2022

Stemming the team’s recent struggles without Gobert and Mitchell will be a tall order tonight against the Grizzlies.

Memphis owns the third-best record in the NBA and sits 2.5 games ahead of the Jazz for the third seed in the Western Conference. The Jazz are 0-3 in games this season when both Mitchell and Gobert sit out.

Mitchell is on the trip with the Jazz and could be available in Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gobert did not travel with the team.

Jazz Re-Sign House

The first sign of the coming struggles for the Jazz came earlier this month when Joe Ingles tested positive for the coronavirus which rapidly tore through the roster.

To help fill the void of those players who were sidelined, the Jazz signed veteran guard Danuel House Jr. to a 10-day hardship contract.

After House Jr.’s initial hardship deal expired, the team re-signed him on a regular 10-day contract on January 18 and announced they picked up him for another 10-day deal this morning.

Traditionally, NBA teams can sign an individual player to two 10-day contracts per season before having to choose whether to sign them for the remainder of the season or to let them hit free agency.

Danuel House Jr. wants to be in Utah, and the @UtahJazz should want him back. #TakeNote https://t.co/CeumCLbb71

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 26, 2022

However, with the ongoing pandemic sidelining large swaths of players for teams across the league, front offices can sign players to more than two 10-day deals as long as at least one of those contracts was a hardship contract.

With House Jr.’s most recent deal, the Jazz have exhausted their ability to re-sign the veteran to future 10-day deals and must decide whether to allow him to hit free agency, or sign him for the rest of the season when this contract expires in early February.

In six games with the Jazz, House Jr. has averaged 6.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 43 percent from the floor and 33 percent from the three-point line.

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