Jazz Injury Report Rules Out Surprising Name vs Grizzlies

Several key names are set to miss out of the action between the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies.

Dec 12, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) drives into Memphis Grizzlies forward Jalen Wells (0) in the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Smith-Imagn Images | Matthew Smith-Imagn Images

The Utah Jazz will be without a few of their regular starters for their first game coming out of the All-Star break against the Memphis Grizzlies, with one of those absences coming as a bit of a surprise.

Here's the full injury report landscape for the Jazz and Grizzlies heading into the matchup:

Utah Jazz Injury Report

OUT - Keyonte George (right ankle; sprain)

OUT - Jaren Jackson Jr. (left knee; injury recovery)

OUT - Walker Kessler (left shoulder; injury recovery)

OUT - Jusuf Nurkic (nose; injury management)

QUESTIONABLE - Oscar Tshiebwe (concussion protocol)

The surprise entry is none other than third-year guard Keyonte George, who is set to continue missing time with his ankle sprain suffered before the All-Star break, and will now make for his fourth-straight absence of the season with the injury.

It's a rare extended injury absence for George, who's been largely durable throughout his three years in the league with Utah. The Jazz guard went down with his new ankle sprain in the team's first game with Jaren Jackson Jr. in the lineup on the road against the Orlando Magic, leaving in the first half to wind up not returning.

The previous left ankle sprain that George had suffered the week prior to when his new injury took place against the Magic took him out for just three games. But as revealed by the team's newest injury update, the Jazz guard will now miss his fourth straight with the sprain in his other ankle, even with a week of rest to utilize during the All-Star break.

Jan 24, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) controls the ball during the second half against the Miami Heat at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Utah will also be down a good chunk of their typical frontcourt from before the All-Star break, as Jackson Jr. is now out for at least the next four weeks following his knee surgery done earlier this week, and Jusuf Nurkic has a new injury that will take him out against Memphis as well––that being a nose issue that requires injury management, and thus, a missed game.

Without Jackson Jr. and Nurkic on the floor for Utah, expect the starting frontcourt to turn out as a combination of Cody Williams, Lauri Markkanen, and Kyle Filipowski, while the backcourt is held down by the duo of Isaiah Collier and Ace Bailey.

Memphis Grizzlies Injury Report

DOUBTFUL - Walter Clayton Jr. (right calf contusion)

OUT - Santi Aldama (right knee injury management)

OUT - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (right fifth finger surgery recovery)

OUT - Brandon Clarke (right calf strain)

OUT - Cedric Coward (right knee hyperextension)

OUT - Zach Edey - (left ankle stress reaction)

OUT - Ty Jerome - (right calf injury management)

OUT - Ja Morant (left elbow UCL sprain)

OUT - Scotty Pippen Jr. (great toe injury managemen)

If you thought the Jazz's injury report looked bad, the Grizzlies' outlook is ever drearier. Virtually all of their notable rotational players will be dealing with some sort of injury to miss out on the action against Utah, headlined by Ja Morant, Zach Edey, and Cedric Coward all being deemed inactive.

One name who will be available for the action? Former Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks, a moving piece in the Jackson Jr. deadline deal who is off the injury report and should be able to take the floor against the team that drafted him back in 2023, along with another former Jazz forward, Kyle Anderson.

Tip-off between the Jazz and Grizzlies begins at 5 p.m. MT in FedEx Forum.