The Utah Jazz will be without a key figure of their first unit on Monday night for a big matchup with the NBA-best Phoenix Suns. Rudy Gobert suffered a calf strain on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors and is expected to be sidelined in the desert, but it's not a serious injury.
The Jazz big man left Sunday's loss to the Dubs with just a couple of minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and was seen stretching out his calf. He had a solid night though, collecting 12 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. Utah is about to be extremely depleted in Phoenix as Donovan Mitchell is also out with a concussion.
Quin Snyder's squad is struggling right now as well, going just 3-7 in their last 10 games. It's certainly a good sign that Gobert isn't seriously injured though because he is a massive piece of how the Jazz goes about their business. Despite being without their two best players against the Suns, Devin Booker and Co. are shorthanded as well, with Deandre Ayton and possibly Cam Payne unavailable.
Gobert is once again a heavy candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year, leading the NBA with 15.1 rebounds per night and 2.3 blocks, which is second in the league behind only Myles Turner. The Frenchman is the top dog in the Association with a 70% field goal clip as well.