Trail Blazers swingman Vit Krejci is likely to face a lengthy recovery from a left shin injury suffered in Wednesday’s win over Phoenix, as Joe Freeman writes for The Oregonian.
Head coach Mika Nori told reporters after the game that Krejci suffered a fracture, although it is unclear whether the broken bone is in the 26-year-old’s foot or ankle. In any case, it is expected to be unavailable for the foreseeable future.
The injury occurred in the third quarter when Krejci ran away from the defense and tried to take the Suns’ lead Miles Bridges (Link to video on Twitter). He took an awkward step before making contact with Bridge and fell to the floor clutching his shin in obvious pain. He was helped off the court by his teammates Donovan Klingon and Robert Williams after a few moments.
According to Freeman, Krejci was using crutches and wearing a protective boot on his left leg when he left the arena.
“hard”, Klingon said of the injury. “He’s a guy who’s made the most of his minutes, and it’s definitely tough to see somebody who’s as good a guy (as he is) go like that. But we’ve got his back.”
Norrie added that the mood in the dressing room was “very somber” after the win and said it was not yet known whether Krejci would need surgery.
As Freeman points out, this is the third serious injury that has affected a Blazers backcourt player this season. Shaedon Sharp underwent knee surgery in August and was ruled out for at least six months until Ja Morant suffered a grade 2 hamstring strain last week and is expected to be on the shelf for at least four weeks.
โโโโWith Sharpe, Morant and Krejci sidelined, the 6-1 Trail Blazers still have Damian Lillard, Scoot Hendersonand Jrue’s holiday are available to fill out their backcourt rotation. A two-way player Chris Youngblood could also see more regular minutes until one of those injured guards returns.
“Terrible for Vitya” Norrie said, according to Freeman. “But โฆ we talked about it this summer, like, ‘What are you going to do with all this little stuff?’ Well, dear God, thank God we have them all.’
Last season, Krejci averaged 7.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 19.2 minutes per game in 19 appearances on the Portland bench. He got off to a slow start this fall, posting 2.7 ppg, 1.6 ppg and 1.1 ppg in his first seven outings (10.3 mpg) while shooting 30.0% from the floor.
