Ja Morant had two replies for Vit Krejci after his Portland Trail Blazers teammate fractured his left ankle. The first was a word of encouragement. The second made clear Krejci had company.
“Hold yo head , we’ll never fall,” Morant wrote in one Instagram comment, adding a prayer-hands emoji. In another, he wrote, “we with you brudda.”
Krejci had used the post to talk about patience and what he had learned from previous setbacks. “I’ve faced adversity many times before, and every setback has taught me something valuable,” he wrote. He closed by thanking people who had reached out.
Trae Young, Krejci’s former Atlanta Hawks teammate, chimed in with “Get right brotha!” and a heart emoji.
Ja Morant and Vit Krejci Are Both Sidelined for Portland
Krejci was hurt late in the third quarter of Portland’s 132-119 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, Nov. 4. He went down after trying to draw a charge on Miles Bridges and finished with five points, three rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes. Coach Micah Nori disclosed the fracture after the game. The NBA’s Friday injury report listed it as a left ankle fracture.
Morant is working through his own recovery. The Blazers announced Oct. 30 that he had a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and would be re-evaluated in four weeks. Portland had ruled out both players for Friday’s game against the Lakers, along with Shaedon Sharpe, who is recovering from right meniscus surgery. Krejci’s Instagram post focused on his mindset and gave no return date.
Blazers Turn to Sidy Cissoko and Chris Youngblood
The first look at Portland’s bench without Krejci came Friday in a 124-118 NBA Cup loss to the Lakers. Sidy Cissoko played 22 minutes and Chris Youngblood played nearly 11. They scored seven points apiece and combined to make four 3-pointers on nine attempts.
That shooting is one part of what Portland needs to replace. Krejci averaged 7.2 points in about 19 minutes per game for the Blazers after they acquired him from Atlanta in February. His role had shrunk to roughly 10 minutes per game this season, according to NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin. At 6-foot-8, Krejci gave Nori a way to keep size and a willing outside shooter on the floor when he went to his bench.
The Lakers game also showed how much Portland leaned on its veteran guards. Damian Lillard played 37 minutes and Jrue Holiday logged 31 off the bench. Nori has another rotation to set the next night when the Blazers host the San Antonio Spurs at 7 p.m. PT on Saturday.
Portland Trail Blazers Star Ja Morant Sends Emotional Message After Injury