Jazz's Keyonte George to undergo MRI after suffering ankle injury

Jazz guard Keyonte George will undergo an MRI on his left ankle on Thursday after sustaining an injury in the first quarter of Utah’s victory over New York on Wednesday, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune.

According to Walden and his Salt Lake Tribune colleague Andy Larsen, George initially tried to play through the injury before limping to the locker room. The Jazz referred to it as a left foot injury when they ruled him out for the remainder of the contest, but it sounds like it may be an ankle injury based on the latest update.

The Jazz have struggled to open 2023-24, currently sitting with an 8-16 record, but George has been a bright spot, averaging 11.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists through 23 healthy games (26.7 minutes). However, like many rookies, scoring efficiency has been an issue, with the 20-year-old posting a .362/.322/.781 shooting line to this point.

George, who was selected 16th overall in this year’s draft, scored a career-high 30 points in Monday’s loss to Oklahoma City. He claimed a starting job just nine games into the 2023-24 season, replacing Talen Horton-Tucker.

Hopefully the injury is minor. The Jazz have dealt with injuries to multiple rotation players this fall, including star forward Lauri Markkanen, who just returned from a hamstring strain in the same game George was injured. 

Walker Kessler (elbow) and Jordan Clarkson (leg) have also missed several games, with Clarkson out at least two more weeks.

If George misses more time, Collin Sexton, Horton-Tucker, Ochai Agbaji and Kris Dunn all figure to receive more playing time.