Which Utah Jazz Players Need to Step Up With Keyonte George Out

The Utah Jazz will be without their star guard Keyonte George for the next two weeks with a right hamstring injury, suffered earlier this week against the New York Knicks, and keeps him out for, at the very least, the next seven games of the Jazz's regular season schedule.

BREAKING: Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George is expected to miss at least two weeks with a right hamstring strain.

George suffered the injury in the second half of Wednesday's game against the Knicks.https://t.co/yWHBNLZSkI
— Utah Jazz On SI (@JazzOnSI) March 13, 2026

Even while the Jazz front office may be trying to boost their lottery odds in whatever ways they can at this point in the season, the lineup on the floor for Utah will still need to fill the void that George leaves both as a scorer and in the backcourt as a whole for the time that he'll be out.

The Jazz also have a handful of young players playing on a nightly basis that the team still needs to decide whether they can be real rotational pieces the next time they can furnish a competitive roster. That allows these minutes Utah is forced to be without George that much more valuable to see a bigger sample size of what the deeper parts of this rotation can do when they're not stuffed down the bench.

With that in mind, here's a batch of three guys in the Jazz's lineup that will have the chance to step up in the upcoming stretch that George will be slated to miss.

Isaiah Collier | G

Mar 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (8) reacts against the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Isaiah Collier has been the number one beneficiary from any time that Keyonte George has been out with an injury all season. The second-year guard has immediately been elevated to the Jazz's starting point guard any time that George has been forced out of the mix, and in that timeframe, has performed notably well as a spark on the offensive end, both as a scorer and facilitator.

In the 16 games that Collier has started this season, he's averaged 15.3 points and 8.8 assists on 48.6% shooting from the field. Now with George out of the mix with his newest injury, he'll have a route to sustain that same production moving forward.

Expect to see a lot more Collier in the Jazz's lineup for whatever time George ends up missing, which could just be a stretch that cements his status in next year's rotation that expects to be a bit more competitive.

Elijah Harkless | G

Mar 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Utah Jazz guard Elijah Harkless (16) controls the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Considering the lack of depth the Jazz have in their backcourt finishing out this season, Collier's elevation into the starting lineup will only mean more minutes will come due for two-way signee Elijah Harkless, who's seen an expanded role in Utah's lineup as is through the last two weeks.

Utah's 6-foot-3, 195-pound defensive-minded guard has gotten minutes in each of the Jazz's last 10 games of their regular season, averaging 5.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in just under 19 minutes a night.

His shooting efficiency could benefit from a sharp turnaround, as he's only logging a 30.9% hit rate from the field in that same 10-game stretch. But with George on track to miss some time, that only means Harkless will have more minutes at his disposal in the Jazz's backcourt, likely as their primary backup point guard, to work those offensive kinks out.

Brice Sensabaugh | G/F

Feb 12, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) reacts after a three point basket against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

George's absence in the Jazz's lineup means that someone has to pick up some of the slack offensively. And there might not be a better candidate in the mix for Utah to do that than third-year wing Brice Sensabaugh.

Sensabaugh showed in the Jazz's latest outing against the Knicks in which George left mid-game that he's more than capable of carrying the weight as one of their top scorers whenever George and Markkanen miss time. He had his home career-high with 29 points against New York to add further confidence that he can keep the momentum rolling into a few more big games down the stretch.

Expect to see Sensabaugh retain his spot in the Jazz's starting five for the next few games, and anticipate Will Hardy to give him the green light for some explosive offensive performances in the process.