Utah Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. is likely to miss the rest of the regular season with a knee injury, the team announced.
The team said Jackson will undergo surgery to remove a localized pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) growth in his left knee, and the injury was identified after an MRI.
Jackson, Jr. will have surgery in the coming days over the All-Star break, and the team said he is expected to make a full recovery.
Jackson Jr., 26, is averaging 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks in 48 games this season for Utah, who sit at 18-37 at the All-Star break and will likely miss the postseason for the fourth straight year. He was traded last week from the Memphis Grizzlies, where he spent the first seven seasons of his career, to the Jazz in a deal that included three first-round draft picks.
Jackson Jr. won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23, is a two-time NBA All-Star, and a two-time All-Defensive First Team selection