Is Kelly Olynyk playing tonight? Latest injury update for Jazz vs. Hornets, January 23rd

For anyone who said trading two superstars is a losing strategy, the Utah Jazz would like a word.

After trading both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert this offseason, all that anyone expected the Jazz to do was prepare for a rebuild. To be fair, focusing on the rebuild seemed like it would be the most fun Jazz fans would have this season, as the team had no stars but a bunch of Minnesota first-round draft picks to mess around with.

But then the team did exactly what they weren’t expected to do — win.

Utah isn’t blowing anyone away in the Western Conference, but the team is very much in the thick of the playoff chase. It’s only January, and there’s a lot of basketball left to play, but the Jazz are hanging around the Play-In Tournament and continue to flirt with the very real possibility of making the playoffs.

This is in large part due to the surprising play of guys like Lauri Markkanen, who is the face of the Jazz ascension with a season that will likely earn him an All-Star selection and Most Improved Player.

But Utah has underrated talent all over, which is where Kelly Olynyk fits in. The only question is when will he be back on the court to help the Jazz and their improbably season of success?

Kelly Olynyk injury status for tonight’s game against the Hornets

It’s been two weeks since Olynyk has stepped foot on the court after injuring his ankle in early January. Technically he re-injured it, as Olynyk missed time in December after hurting the same ankle.

Olynyk commented on the injury over the weekend, and voiced frustration — which could be a positive sign that he feels ready to return and is chomping at the bit to return to action.

“It’s definitely annoying,” Olynyk said, via the Desert News. “You always want to be there to help your team and support any way you can. Having to just sit there and wait and watch and try to find other ways to be impactful and helpful, it’s tough, especially when it kind of drags on more than you’d hoped and anticipated.”

Kelly Olynyk injury history

Olynyk has been out since January 9th after hurting his ankle, but he’s managed to stay relatively healthy as of late. His last major injury came back during the 2020-21 season when he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee and missed six weeks with the Detroit Pistons.

Here’s a quick rundown of the times Olynyk has shown up on the injury report over the last few seasons and the reason why:

• 12/18/22 – Ankle injury
• 1/22/22 – Reconditioning
• 1/18/22 – Reconditioning
• 1/11/21 – Knee
• 5/8/21 – Ankle
• 5/6/21 – Ankle
• 1/10/21 – Groin
• 12/31/20 – Left Knee

When is Kelly Olynyk coming back?

There’s good news and bad news here. Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen reported that Olynyk has returned doing on-court work but is likely going to miss at least another week as he gets back to full strength.

This doesn’t mean he won’t return ahead of schedule, but it seems as though the Jazz are wisely taking their time so that Olynyk’s ankle doesn’t cause any problems in the near future.

Utah Jazz next 5 opponents

Here are what the next five games for the Jazz look like, which the team may have to play without Kelly Olynyk in the lineup.

• at Portland Trail Blazers – Wednesday, 1/25 at 8 pm MST
• vs. Dallas Mavericks – Saturday, 1/28 at 7 pm MST
• vs. Toronto Raports – Wednesday, 2/1 at 7 pm MST
• vs. Atlanta Hawks – Friday, 2/3 at 7 pm MST
• vs. Dallas Mavericks – Monday, 2/6 at 7 pm MST

The good news is that if the Jazz are without Olynyk for this next stretch, the games are all going to be played at home after a trip out to Portland.