As if the Utah Jazz weren’t experiencing enough adversity in a 1-10 start to the season, they have now lost forward Lauri Markkenen to a non-displaced hand fracture. The star scorer will be out at least a month, per Shams Charania of ESPN. Utah was expected to challenge for a spot in the 2027 NBA Playoffs, rising after years of misery, but the ascent has stalled on the launch pad. Losing Markkenen is the latest blow to their rapidly-fading hopes.
The 7’1 veteran forward has averaged 18.0 points and
6.8 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per game over 8 appearances for the Jazz so far this season. He’s coming off of a campaign where he averaged 26.7 points while playing 42 games. He hasn’t played 60 or more games since 2022-23, his first year with Utah, also his only All-Star season since entering the league in 2017.
