Third-year big man Yves Missi suffered a left knee injury about halfway through the second quarter of the Pelicans’ eventual loss to Utah on Friday, according to Matthew Coles of The Associated Press.

As Cole writes, Missi experienced the injury when Zion Williamson had his shot blocked by Jaxson Hayes and then the burly forward fell into Missi’s leg. The 22-year-old immediately grabbed at his knee and was clearly in a great deal of pain.

Missi, a native of Cameroon, didn’t appear to be able to put weight on his left leg and had to be carried off the court, per Cole. The former first-round pick will be reevaluated on Saturday in Denver, head coach Jamahl Mosley told reporters, including Rod Walker of NOLA.com (Twitter link).

After starting 67 of his 74 appearances in his debut season and earning a spot on the All-Rookie second team, Missi’s playing time dropped off considerably in 2025/26. After averaging 26.8 minutes per game in ’24/25, Missi averaged 19.7 MPG last season.

However, he beat out Derik Queen for a spot in New Orleans’ starting lineup this fall and was productive in Wednesday’s season opener, recording 13 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals in 30 minutes. The 6’11” center will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next offseason.

Queen could start going forward if Missi misses additional time, with Karlo Matkovic among the candidates to receive more minutes off the bench.