In his absence, the record of the Utah Jazz was not glorious, with four defeats conceded and 118.6 points conceded on average, proof of the importance Gobert for his team, obviously on the defensive level.

Especially since "Gobzilla" is perhaps having the best first part of the season of his NBA career (15.5 pts, 15.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks on average), which has allowed the Jazz to monopolize the 3rd place in the West, before Memphis took advantage of its slump to overtake it in the standings.

It was the second time that the interior, silver medalist with the Blues at the Tokyo Games last summer, contracted the Covid.

He had been the first NBA player to test positive for coronavirus on March 11, 2020, which resulted in an immediate suspension of the NBA season.

In other good news for Utah, winger Rudy Gay is also out of the Covid protocol.

Bench player, he compiled this season 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

© 2022 AFP