SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 18, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Free-agent acquisition Rudy Gay is set to make his Utah Jazz debut against the Toronto Raptors Thursday evening.
Gay has yet to take the court this year after recovering from offseason heel surgery, said a news release from the Jazz.
“I never got hurt, it was just to alleviate some pain I’ve been playing with for a little while,” Gay said a month ago regarding the surgery. “I feel like, after last season, I was just done with it. I see myself as a very tough guy to play with it for five years.”
Despite not yet playing, head coach Quin Snyder and the Jazz say Gay has been heavily involved in every aspect of the team, from participating in practice to watching film.
“I think he can fit in a lot of ways, that’s the advantage of having a versatile player,” Snyder said of Gay’s fit with the team. “He’s capable of impacting the game in a variety of ways, that’s the sense that I had (of him) this summer. The more you see him interact with different lineups and different players, I think those things will become even more apparent.”
The Jazz scored a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday on the glass, out-rebounding them 56-42. Utah limited Philadelphia to six offensive rebounds, nearly four less than the 76ers average on the season.
“Our defense, everything started with our defense,” Jazz player Bojan Bogdanovic said following the 120-85 victory. “Finally we controlled the boards, and it was easy for us to play off our defense and in transition. Everything started with our defense. If we play defense the way we played tonight, we’ll have a chance to win every single game.”
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Vivint Arena and the game will air on AT&T Sports Network.
