The 2026-27 Utah Jazz season is just two weeks away as of Oct. 7.
Utah is opening up the regular season facing a number of questions, including in a recent unfortunate injury development.
In the midst of Lauri Markkanen and Brice Sensabaugh recovering from short-term ailments, another one arose for the Jazz.
Key Jazz Center Out for Weeks
Utah’s starting center situation became even more murky on Wednesday. Jusuf Nurkic will miss at least one month according to Chris Haynes (Prime) due to a partial plantar plate tear of his second toe on his right foot.
The Jazz are already scrambling to find solutions at center to satisfy recent roster moves, such as signing Keyonte George to an extension.
The uncertainty at the five began this summer when incumbent starter Walker Kessler was the subject of a sign-and-trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. This creates room for a power vacuum at the position, as well as crucial decisions from head coach Will Hardy.
Where Does Utah Go From Here?
The Jazz have multiple avenues that they can take with a short-term lens in mind.
An obvious solution is in starting Jaxon Hayes, who is in his first season with the Jazz after a stint with the Lakers. What Hayes lacks in skill, he makes up for in motor.
Hardy also has an opportunity to start Kyle Filipowski, although the third-year big might project more as a “four” in the league.
There’s other avenues Utah can take, including in playing Jaren Jackson Jr. and Markkanen minutes at center. Jackson isn’t a strong rebounder or as physically imposing as other bigs of his stature.
This will be a fascinating month for Hardy to navigate. The Jazz franchise is expecting to take a step forward, and the start to the campaign is crucial.
Utah opens up the regular season against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Jazz Center Rotation Takes Massive Blow With Unfortunate Jusuf Nurkic News