Rudy Gay Set To Make Debut For Jazz Against Raptors
Nov 18, 2021, 1:37 PM | Updated: 1:49 pm
Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gay (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Rudy Gay is set to make his Utah Jazz debut tonight against the Toronto Raptors.
For the first time since signing with the team in the offseason, Gay is listed as available on the team’s active roster ahead of game day.
The forward’s pending return picked up steam earlier this week after he was a full participant at Jazz practice on Monday, having spent Sunday practicing with the team’s G League affiliate the Salt Lake City Stars.
Rudy Gay will play tonight for the @utahjazz. #TakeNote | @kslsports
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) November 18, 2021
Gay has been sidelined for the team’s first 14 games of the season after undergoing bone spur surgery on his right heel over the summer.
The highest-paid addition to the Jazz roster in the offseason, the forward signed a three-year deal worth roughly $18 million.
“I feel good, my body feels good,” Gay said Monday “and I think me being on the court can help this team.”
Gay has career averages of 16.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 35 percent from the three-point line.
❔How many minutes should Rudy Gay get in his @utahjazz debut❔
📻: @ZoneSportsNet
📺: AT&T SportsNet / @fuboTV
🎧: https://t.co/yTfV2Fd1rE@BensHoops @JakeScottZone #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/hqZsYz4B3y— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 18, 2021
The Jazz can finish their five-game homestand with a winning record if they can escape with a victory over the Raptors. The Jazz have split the first four games of the homestand with wins over the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers, and losses to Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat.
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Gay should expect to see limited time in his debut after playing nearly 22 minutes per game for the San Antonio Spurs last season but said he’s ready to help the team in any way he can.
“I’ve always been the type of person to do whatever the team needs, you know?” Gay said. “This is my 16th year in the league and that’s the only way you stay here, you do what the team needs.”
The Jazz and Raptors will tip-off at 7 pm MT. The game can be heard on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone and will be televised on AT&T Sports Net and FuboTV.
