Utah Jazz Player Vince Williams Jr. Sidelined for Season with Torn ACL

Utah Jazz guard Vince Williams Jr. will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL during Monday's game against Houston. The injury occurred following a collision with a Rockets player during a fast break in the second quarter.

Medical imaging conducted Tuesday confirmed that Utah Jazz guard Vince Williams Jr. suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, effectively ending his 2024 season, according to ESPN.

The 25-year-old player sustained the injury during Monday night’s game when the Jazz fell to the Houston Rockets 125-105. Williams collided with Houston’s Tari Eason during the opening minutes of the second quarter while both players were racing down court on a fast break. According to the Deseret News, Eason delivered a hip-check that caused Williams to fall awkwardly, with his knee bending unnaturally as he tumbled out of bounds near the Utah team bench.

Jazz head coach Will Hardy criticized the incident following the game, stating: “That’s not basketball.”

Williams managed just eight minutes of playing time before the injury, recording one point, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. He was seen leaving the arena using crutches after the game. Eason later visited the Jazz locker room to check on Williams’ condition.

“I’ve known Vince for a little bit and he’s just a really good dude, hard-working dude,” Eason told the Deseret News. “It was just respect. I’ve got a lot of respect for him, and I know it’s his contract year … I didn’t intend on doing anything. My intentions are always just to play hard. So I went to go holler and just check on him. Obviously nothing helps, but just tell him that I apologize. You know, nobody’s trying to hurt anybody.”

Teammate Keyonte George expressed his sympathy for Williams’ situation, saying he was “devastated for Vince.”

“Everybody’s gonna have their own opinion (about the play) but can’t really look into it too much,” George said, per the Deseret News. “These plays, just running down the floor … just a freak accident, honestly.”

Since joining Utah through a February 3rd trade from Memphis that also brought All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz, Williams has contributed 4.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists across six games while averaging 14.0 minutes per contest.

During his time with Memphis this season, Williams posted 8.0 points, 4.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 21.6 minutes per game across 34 appearances, including 12 as a starter. Since entering the league in 2022-23, his career averages stand at 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 21.3 minutes over 134 regular-season contests with 51 starts.

The Memphis Grizzlies originally drafted Williams during the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft following his college career at VCU.