Utah Jazz guard Vince Williams Jr. was carried to the locker room during Monday night’s 119-101 defeat to the Houston Rockets after hurting his left knee, and early indications point to a possible serious ACL injury, according to multiple sources who spoke with The Deseret News.
Williams exited the Toyota Center on crutches and is scheduled for an MRI in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, head coach Will Hardy told reporters. “It doesn’t look good; we’ll get an MRI,” Hardy said.
The injury occurred late in the first half while Williams was retreating on defense during a Houston fast break. Rockets forward Tari Eason bumped him, causing Williams to lose balance; his left leg hyperextended inward in a graphic scene that was not ruled a foul. After the game, Eason approached Williams to apologize and said the contact was unintentional.
Williams, the 47th pick in the 2022 draft, arrived in Utah earlier this month in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. Entering Monday’s matchup, he was averaging 5.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 15.2 minutes over five games with the Jazz.
The former Toledo standout appeared in 34 contests for Memphis before the trade, posting 8.0 points, 4.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game. Now in his fourth NBA season, Williams is earning $2.3 million this year, and Utah holds a $2.5 million team option for 2026-27.
No timeline for his recovery will be available until after the MRI results are reviewed.
Source: Hoops Rumors
