Bitter news for Joe Ingles and the Utah Jazz. The Australian has apparently torn a cruciate ligament in his left knee and will be out for the rest of the season.
Wie Adrian Wojnarwoski (ESPN) reported, this was revealed by an MRI scan on Monday in Salt Lake City. For Ingles, the injury not only means the end of the season for the current season, his rehab is also expected to extend into the coming season.
The 34-year-old was injured during a guest appearance with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. On a drive to the basket in the second quarter, his left knee suddenly gave out and Ingles fell to the ground, his face contorted in pain. He was then unable to put weight on his left knee and had to leave the court, supported by his teammates.
Subsequent examinations on Monday confirmed the worst fears of a cruciate ligament rupture and the end of the season associated with it. According to Wojnarowski, Ingles will be operated on in the coming weeks.
Ingles’ future with the Jazz is currently open, in recent weeks he has been considered a potential trade candidate, his contract in Utah ($ 13 million) expires after the current season. Ingles spent his entire eight-year NBA career with the Jazz.
Over his entire career in the association, as an important part of the jazz rotation, he averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds with shooting rates of 44.9 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from the field Distance. Last season, he finished second in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year award and made 40 of 45 appearances as a starter in the playoffs.
For Jazz, the news of the Ingles injury is the next chapter in the epidemic year 2022. Eleven of the past 13 games have been lost, most recently five in a row, partly because Donovan Mitchell (concussion) and Rudy Gobert (Wade) are the two top stars injured were absent. With a record of 30-21, Utah ranks fourth in the West.