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Report: Jazz's Bojan Bogdanovic to Have Surgery on Wrist Injury, Out for Season
May 18, 2020
If the NBA returns from its hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic and finishes the 2019-20 season, the Utah Jazz will do so without forward Bojan Bogdanovic.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Bogdanovic is undergoing season-ending surgery on his right wrist:
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespnBogdanovic injured wrist in January and played in pain throughout season. The discomfort/injury emerged again during shutdown, sources said. Decision for surgery makes sense to protect him and franchise for long-term. He signed a four-year, $73M deal last summer. https://t.co/OwLTeYHWgO
Tony Jones of The Athletic reported that Bogdanovic suffered a ruptured scapholunate ligament in his wrist. Sarah Todd of the Deseret News reported the injury took place very early in the season, prior to January.
The 31-year-old was having an excellent season for the Jazz, averaging 20.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from three. He's Utah's second-leading scorer behind Donovan Mitchell (24.2 PPG), and among Jazz players who take at least one three-pointer per game, only Georges Niang is shooting a higher percentage from beyond the arc (41.6 percent).
Replacing his scoring and shooting will be difficult for a Jazz team with championship aspirations, should the season continue. Utah is currently 41-23 and the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAIf/when this season resumes, the Jazz not having Bojan Bogdanovic is a huge blow to their playoff chances. He’s their second-best offensive player, and the only guy outside of Donovan Mitchell who has regularly created offense off the dribble. Lots of pressure on Mike Conley now.
Tim Bontemps @TimBontempsThis is a brutal hit for the Jazz, assuming the league is able to return. Bogdanovic was a big addition for them in the offseason, and gave them an added dimension they didn't have previously playing alongside Joe Ingles at the two forward spots in smallball lineups. https://t.co/ig5uPkgV1s
The Jazz can substitute wily veteran forward Joe Ingles into the starting lineup. Ingles brings solid defense and playmaking but simply doesn't provide the volume scoring that Bogdanovic offers.
Behind Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Bogdanovic is arguably Utah's third best player. His loss is a major one.