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Jazz are winning again, but they still miss Thabo Sefolosha on the court, in the locker room

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz forward Thabo Sefolosha (22) puts up a shot as the Utah Jazz host the Milwaukee Bucks, NBA basketball in Salt Lake City Saturday November 25, 2017.

Thabo Sefolosha arduously made his way through the bowels of Vivint Smart Home Arena toward the Utah Jazz locker room.

He didn’t have to be present Tuesday night, and nobody would’ve batted an eyelash had the small forward chosen to stay home and watch Utah’s shocking demolition of the Golden State Warriors on television.

But Sefolosha’s life is too quiet now. He’s fresh off MCL surgery on his right knee. Every step hurts, even if he’s aided by crutches. Truth be told, the less mobility he has now, the easier it is. But Sefolosha craves interaction with his Jazz teammates.

He wants to be present.

“It’s been difficult,” Sefolosha told The Tribune. “This is harder than I’ve ever imagined. Things are boring right now, and I’m in a lot of pain.”

The pain goes both ways.

Utah is riding a three-game winning streak as it prepares to face the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. The Jazz have won four of their last five games, and they played what is unquestionably their best basketball since the first week of December in their last two wins over the Warriors and Toronto Raptors.

And yet the Jazz still haven’t gotten over the loss of Sefolosha, who suffered his season-ending injury against the Charlotte Hornets.

Not much can make up for his leadership void in the locker room. The younger players looked up to him as a big brother. His contemporaries looked at him as a friend and great teammate.


THABO SEFOLOSHA <br>• Suffered an MCL injury against theCharlotte Hornets on Jan. 12. He is out for the remainder of the season.<br>• In his absence, the Jazz have been granted an injuryexception by the NBA, which they could use to sign another player,provided they have the roster space to do so. <br>• Sefolosha ison a two-year contract but the second season is not guaranteed.<br>• The Jazz say they expect Sefolosha to be fully recovered andhealthy in time for training camp.

Sefolosha was Utah’s best communicator on the floor. When he was on the bench, Jazz players consistently could hear him shouting encouragement and instructions. In many ways, he was like another assistant coach.

“Even when he’s not in the game, he makes an impact for us,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “We knew he was a unique player. But he’s embraced the role of playing the four and working from the leadership standpoint.

“When I platooned those guys, he got better and made our team better. There’s times in the game when he’s on the bench you hear the bench talking. And now there are times when we’re quiet.”

For many of these reasons, the Jazz value Sefolosha more than the typical NBA player who averages 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. The second season of Sefolosha’s contract is non-guaranteed, and anything can happen between now and next season. But as of now the Jazz are planning to bring him back.

Sefolosha also has been present at practices and shootarounds over the past few weeks. He’s not cleared to travel with the team, but he’s made every effort to stay connected as much as possible.

Snyder has replaced his production by committee. Jonas Jerebko and Joe Johnson have seen an uptick in minutes, and Derrick Favors has played more minutes at power forward. Royce O’Neale has been impressive with a bigger role, and Joe Ingles finally is shooting the ball more frequently — and making a lot of shots.

Much has been made of Favors’ and Rudy Gobert’s fit in the same frontcourt. But the two finished the game together when the Jazz defeated the Raptors on the road last Friday night.

That’s partly because the Jazz needed to control Toronto’s rebounding. But Favors is playing as well as he has all season, which means he’s forcing Snyder to keep him on the floor.

“I think the team is coming together and we’re playing well,” Favors said. “We definitely miss him. We miss his experience and leadership. He’s vocal on defense — that was one of his best assets. He has a presence about him that we miss. He’s a guy that was important to what we do.”

The Jazz are embarking on an important road trip beginning with the Suns. After a solid two months of injuries, a difficult schedule, uneven play and a lot of losing, the Jazz finally are back to playing solid basketball.

This trip is manageable. The Suns have been injury-riddled, although they are coming off a win over the Dallas Mavericks. The New Orleans Pelicans lost All-Star DeMarcus Cousins for the season. The Memphis Grizzlies are holding their top perimeter option, Tyreke Evans, out until they can trade him.

The Jazz are 22-28 through 50 games, so they know they can take nothing for granted. They’ve already lost to the Suns and Pelicans.

“We know this is the NBA,” Jerebko said. “So we have to bring it every night. We’re excited. Hopefully we’re starting to figure some things out.”

JAZZ AT SUNS <br>When • 7 p.m. Friday <br>Where • Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix <br>TV • AT&T SportsNet <br>Radio • 97.5 FM; 1280 AM <br>Records • Utah 22-28; Phoenix 18-34 <br>Last meeting • Phoenix won 97-88 (Oct. 25, 2017) <br>About the Jazz • Utah has won three consecutive games, it’s longest winning streak since the first week of December. … The Jazz plan to submit a proposal to host the NBA All-Star Game in either 2022 or 2023. … Utah’s last two wins are over the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, two of the best teams in the NBA. … Shooting guard Rodney Hood has missed five consecutive games with a lower leg contusion. … Jazz two-way player Georges Niang made his Utah debut against the Warriors, playing one minute and picking up a steal. <br>About the Suns • Phoenix bought starting center Greg Monroe out of his contract Wednesday, making him an unrestricted free agent. … The Suns lost guard Isaiah Canaan on Wednesday to a gruesome leg injury. He is out indefinitely. … The Suns snapped a five-game losing streak with their win over the Mavericks. … Phoenix has made at least one 3-pointer in 1,110 consecutive games, an NBA record. … The Suns lead the Jazz 1-0 in the season series.