The Utah Jazz had a night to forget in their 110-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. Although the game was decided by five points, Utah lost multiple key players to injuries.
One of them was forward Lauri Markkanen. The 29-year-old seven-footer lasted just six minutes before exiting the loss. Markkanen collided with the Grizzlies’ Cam Boozer on a screen and appeared to injure his wrist.
After further evaluation, Markkanen has been diagnosed with a right wrist sprain.
“He is listed as day-to-day,” wrote the Utah Jazz on X.
Jazz Lose Jaren Jackson Jr. for ‘6-to-8 Weeks’ With Torn Right MCL
As mentioned earlier, the Jazz lost both of their big starting big men in the loss on Monday.
While battling for a rebound early in the loss, Memphis’ Ty Jerome fell and landed on Jaren Jackson Jr.’s right leg. The 27-year-old would exit the contest after 10 minutes played and would not return.
Jackson Jr. underwent further tests on the injured, and was diagnosed with a torn right MCL in his knee. The setback is more serious and will need an extended period to heal.
Utah announced that Jackson Jr. “will be re-evaluated in six weeks” after discovering the injury. The MCL tear not require surgery, says ESPN’s Shams Charania.
This timeline gives Jaren Jackson Jr. the earliest return to be in early December. Charania added more details to the diagnosis, saying that Jackson Jr.’s injured knee can extend to as long as eight weeks.
In four games before sustaining the torn right ACL, Jaren Jackson Jr. is averaging 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. What had become a highly-anticipated starting frontcourt of Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen will be put on hold moving forward.
Frontcourt Injuries Continue to Pile Up for Utah
Utah is still waiting on the season debut for veteran center Jusuf Nurkic. He was diagnosed with a partial plantar plate tear in his right foot on Oct. 7. The timeline is set to four weeks.
This has put the season on delay for the 32-year-old, but has a chance of returning at some point in early November.
The setbacks don’t stop there, either. One of Utah’s additions in the offseason, Jaxson Hayes, is dealing with soreness in his right shoulder. The 26-year-old missed the Jazz’s loss on Monday, and it’s unclear whether he will be ready to return for Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Utah may look to rely on Mo Bamba and Kyle Filipowski to handle the center role while Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jusuf Nurkic, and Jaxson Hayes miss time.
Jazz Provide Telling Lauri Markkanen Injury Update After Early Exit vs. Grizzlies