Upside For Jazz After Mike Conley Re-Aggravates Hamstring Injury

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz backcourt should be well-rested by the time the postseason rolls around. That’s one small upside to the latest news that Mike Conley re-aggravated the hamstring injury that sidelined the guard in mid-February.

On Tuesday, the Jazz announced that Conley would miss the team’s game Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings after re-aggravating his hamstring. Conley originally missed six games after feeling tightness in his right leg on February 5 in Charlotte.

Since returning from the injury, Conley had sat on either end of all but one of the Jazz games played on back-to-back nights, adding up to 12 missed games in total.

Thin backcourt tomorrow for the @utahjazz. Mike Conley re-aggravated his hamstring injury.

Jazz Injury Report (4/27)

OUT – Mike Conley (right hamstring tightness)

OUT – Donovan Mitchell (right ankle sprain)

OUT – Udoka Azubuike (right severe ankle sprain)

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 28, 2021

“Conley’s hamstring tightness is not a new injury or part of his injury management,” the team said Tuesday night. “He re-aggravated his previous hamstring injury.”

The guard suffered an injury to his left hamstring last season and attempted to return after five games. Conley re-aggravated that injury in his first appearance back and missed 14 additional games.

The Jazz didn’t offer a timetable in Conley’s return, but with just 10 regular-season games remaining after they play in Sacramento, it’s not difficult to imagine the veteran missing valuable time before the end of the season.

Though it may be less than ideal as the Jazz try to fend off the Phoenix Suns, it could provide Conley will added rest before playoffs begin.

The veteran isn’t the only Jazz guard who’s missed time recently with injury. Jordan Clarkson sat for four games after suffering a sprained ankle earlier this month while All-Star teammate Donovan Mitchell has missed the Jazz last five games with an ankle sprain of his own and won’t be re-evaluated until the end of this week.

The @utahjazz will be without Mike Conley tomorrow against the @SacramentoKings.

The veteran guard re-aggravated the hamstring injury that caused him to miss six games earlier this season. #takenote https://t.co/L0EuvzZ53g

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 28, 2021

Though the reason for missing games is inopportune, added rest carries a valuable upside in the eyes of Jazz coach Quin Snyder.

“There’s value to it even if you’re recovering from an injury, there are other things that you’re doing that let your body heal and regenerate and you can find juice,” Snyder said.

“It’s maybe not the ideal way to have that happen but it’s certainly a silver lining a lot of times.”

The Jazz will finish their three-game road trips in Sacramento and at Phoenix on Friday night before returning home to face the Toronto Raptors to open a five-game homestand beginning Saturday night.