Trail Blazers guard/forward Vit Krejci He underwent surgery on Wednesday for a fractured left ankle and will be re-evaluated in eight weeks, the team announced on its Twitter feed.
Krejci was injured a week ago against the Suns was expected to miss considerable time. Wednesday’s announcement provides more clarity on how long the recovery process will take, which will begin immediately. At best, given the schedule, Krejci could return shortly after the start of the New Year.
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.
Injuries piled up for the Blazers. 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 two weeks ago and it is expected to be on the shelf for at least four weeks.
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.
Krejci’s modest $2,667,944 was guaranteed on opening night. The team has an option on his $3 million non-guaranteed contract for 2027/28, a decision the front office will have to make next June before free agency begins.
