Portland Trail Blazers reserve guard Blake Wesley sustained a fracture to the fifth metatarsal of his right foot during Portland’s 109-107 win over the Denver Nuggets, the organization announced on Sunday.
His timeline for return will be determined at a later date.
Wesley, 22, injured the foot during the second quarter of Friday’s win at the Moda Center. He fell down as he converted on a midrange jumper at the 3:52 mark of the quarter and immediately grabbed his right foot, unable to get back on defense. The Blazers called a timeout on their next possession and subbed Wesley out. He didn’t return in the contest.
The injury is a tough blow for a player who had been stepping up in the absence of Blazers guard Scoot Henderson and thriving in Portland’s new pressure-heavy, fast-paced system. The third-year guard has been a regular part of Portland’s bench rotation in all six games this season. He has averaged 6 points, 3.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 16.3 minutes per game while shooting 41.2% from the floor.
Wesley has already garnered special recognition from teammates and fans in the early season for the breakneck speed and hustle he brings to both ends, making him a nice storyline in Portland’s strong 4-2 start.
The injury is also another tough injury hit to the Blazers, who have been utilizing a 10-deep regular rotation to play their fast-paced style. On top of Henderson going down in late September with a hamstring strain, the Blazers announced on Friday that wing Matisse Thybulle will miss at least 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb.
The rash of recent injuries likely means more minutes in the rotation for Blazers forward Kris Murray and two-way contract guard Caleb Love.
“Everybody’s gotta step up,” said Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter on Friday in response to how the team will respond if Wesley had to miss time. “We might have to bring two-ways, I don’t know. But it’s gonna be, again, a team thing.”
The Blazers return to the Moda Center on Monday to face the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PST.
