Today, it was announced that Gordon Hayward will be out for roughly six weeks which means that he’ll be missing the start of the season for the Utah Jazz. Now, the Jazz, who are supposed to do much better this season, will need someone to step up in his place as he recovers. At this point, it seems as though Joe Johnson will have to be that guy.

Gordon Hayward has been such an integral part of this Jazz team and losing him for an extended period of time will undoubtedly be detrimental to the team. But, with the addition of Joe Johnson over the summer, this might not be as bad as we had originally thought.

Joe Johnson has started every single game he has played in since the 2003-2004 season he had with the Phoenix Suns. With Rodney Hood and Gordon Hayward the starters in the shooting guard and small forward positions when healthy, Joe Johnson will be relegated to the bench for the first time in over 10 years. But, Hayward’s injury will probably afford Johnson the chance to continue starting for now.

We are still not even positive that Joe Johnson will be the person to start in Hayward’s spot to begin the season. Maybe the team will elect to give Joe Ingles the nod at the starting position to have Johnson continue coming off the bench. But, realistically, the former is the likely move they’ll make.

Joe Johnson has to step up and lead this Jazz team in Hayward’s absence. They need a veteran presence they can rely on to get them a bucket when it’s needed. Joe Johnson will be relied on to do just that.