The Utah Jazz (1-10) are off to an absolute nightmare start in the 2026-27 season.
Utah is currently one of four teams with only one victory at this point of the 82-game campaign. Much of the slow start is traceable to injuries. Incumbent starting center Jusuf Nurkic remains out due to an injury suffered before the start of the year. Jaren Jackson Jr. is out for the foreseeable future as well due to an MCL tear.
Now, Lauri Markkanen is in the injury fold.
Markkanen Out For Extended Period of Time
Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported on Wednesday that Markkanen will miss time due to a hand injury.
“Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen has sustained a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will be sidelined for at least one month.”
This is clearly a massive blow to a Utah team that is already dealing with multiple other issues. While the 29-year-old Markkanen hasn’t been at the top of his game this season, he’s still a productive player. Through eight games, the University of Arizona product is shooting 39.7% from three-point range and averaging 6.8 RPG.
How will Utah respond to this multi-week loss?
How Absence Will Affect Jazz
This loss is setting the stage for the Jazz to give more responsibility to second-year phenom Ace Bailey. Bailey is playing a more guard-centric role this season, but there’s a general lack of size within the roster that re-opens the need for Bailey to play at a forward position.
A 23-point, seven rebound performance on efficient shooting marks in a loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday certainly instills confidence that the former lottery pick will be able to carry more responsibility.
Another piece of the equation has to be Brice Sensabaugh, who is only playing 14 minutes per game thus far. Josh Okogie and Josh Green will be names to watch here as well. This is truly a moment where Will Hardy will face a war of attrition in a season that the Jazz were expecting to take a step forward in.
Jazz Receive Crushing Lauri Markkanen News as Injuries Continue to Pile Up