Rodney Hood just can’t stay healthy

Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood went down with a knee sprain on Wednesday night, leaving the Jazz shorthanded yet again this season.

After missing several game earlier in the season with a bone bruise, the Utah Jazz’s injury-prone shooting guard has gone down with an injury yet again.

Rodney Hood went down during Wednesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. It was initially diagnosed as a hyperextended knee, but MRI testing later revealed things to be more serious.

One knee injury is bad enough, but having two at the same time sounds like it will take longer to rehab from. Injuries have already marred Hood’s young career in the NBA.

In his rookie year during the 2014-15 season, he managed to play only 50 games due to foot injuries. He managed to stay healthy last season, missing only three games in total, but started off this season with knee problems and now has injured himself even more seriously.

So what is an LCL sprain and how serious is it? An LCL sprain is usually caused by direct trauma to the inside of the knee, such as colliding with another player. It makes sense then that this injury would be accompanied by a contusion, which is essentially a bruise.

How much time Hood misses with the injury will depend on the severity of the sprain. The Jazz issued the following injury report, where they say they will re-evaluate Hood in one week.

Utah is currently in fifth place in the Western Conference. What they lack in star power they make up for with their depth. They will need everybody healthy if they want a chance at making some noise in the playoffs.

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While Hood is not the focus of the offense, he is an important member of the starting five and someone who knows his role on the team well. He is averaging 13.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game through 40 games so far this season.