This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When the Utah Jazz signed Joe Johnson in free agency and traded for Boris Diaw and George Hill, general manager Dennis Lindsey said he hoped the added offseason depth could allow his team to absorb an injury, if need be.
That theory will now be put to the test.
Gordon Hayward — Utah's best player and its star small forward — broke his left ring finger in practice on Friday morning. He is expected to miss six weeks of action, which would include the first 13 games of the regular season.
The story was first reported by ESPN.
"Obviously, this is disappointing, a real setback for Gordon," Hayward's agent Mark Bartelstein told The Tribune. "Gordon stayed in Salt Lake City during the summer, he was poised to have a breakout season. He had taken it to another level."
Hayward's injury occurred when he got his hand caught inside a teammate's jersey during practice. Surgery is an option, but hasn't yet been determined.
The injury is particularly untimely because Hayward looked so good in his first two preseason games. He scored 17 first-half points on Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers, and was dominant offensively.
Hayward followed that Wednesday with 15 points against the Phoenix Suns on 6 of 9 shooting from the field. In both games, Hayward looked like a guy who could take over whenever needed. He is noticeably bigger and stronger than he was last season, and his overall game seemed to improve significantly.
"He put in a lot of work over the summer," Bartelstein said. "He was ready."
Even with Hayward, the early season schedule was daunting. In the first three weeks of the regular season, the Jazz play Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers, the San Antonio Spurs (twice), the Dallas Mavericks, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls and the Charlotte Hornets. All were playoff teams a season ago.
And that doesn't include a five-game Eastern Conference road trip.
Without Hayward, that schedule is daunting. But Lindsey put together what many think is a deep and talented roster. Last season, there wasn't nearly as much depth, which meant injuries to Dante Exum, Alec Burks, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert went a long way toward costing the Jazz a playoff berth.
Utah coach Quin Snyder can go a few different ways to compensate for Hayward. He can plug Johnson into the starting lineup, and give Exum a spike in minutes. He can keep Johnson in his sixth man role, put Exum in as the starting shooting guard spot, and move Rodney Hood to small forward.
Snyder can also move Hood to small forward and start Alec Burks at shooting guard once Burks is healthy following his knee surgery over the summer. Either way, Johnson's presence is key.
If there's a silver lining here, Utah has four preseason games remaining to acclimate itself to playing without Hayward. If the Jazz, and particularly Johnson, can find a rhythm over the next few weeks, maybe they weather Hayward's absence.
"In this preseason, I've just wanted to keep pushing and get better and build a great relationship with this team," Johnson said on Friday. "Once the regular season starts, we want to have everything together."
The sample size for the Jazz playing without Hayward isn't a large one. He has played in 443 of 476 possible games in his career, a great sign of his durability. Last season, when Hayward missed a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hood scored 28 points to lead Utah to a win.
The Jazz have typically been conservative when it comes to injury, preferring not to rush players back — so there is the chance Hayward is out for longer than six weeks. How the Jazz respond without him, and how quickly Hayward gets back to himself once he returns to the court, could determine Utah's season.
"He's going to be back and better than ever," Bartelstein said. "I know this is killing him to miss time. But it's just about going through the process and getting healthy."
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Hayward update
• Hayward has missed 33 games in his Jazz career.
• In preseason, he averaged 16 points in 20 minutes per game and shot 55 percent from the field, 66 percent from 3-point range and 83 percent from the free-throw line.