Utah Jazz two-time All-Star forward Jaren Jackson Jr. will miss six to eight weeks due to a torn MCL in his right knee, though he won’t require surgery, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday. That means Jackson will miss Utah’s next two matchups with the Portland Trail Blazers — one in Utah this upcoming Saturday and another in Portland on Dec. 3.
Jackson sustained the injury during the Jazz’s 110-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Jazz star forward Lauri Markkanen also exited Monday’s
game early with a right wrist sprain, but Charania reported Utah is hopeful the 7-footer won’t miss significant time.
The Jazz are hopeful that the 7-foot Markkanen won’t miss an extended period, but the injury is to his shooting wrist, which is particularly problematic for a volume 3-point shooter.
The wrist injury also puts Markkanen’s availability in jeopardy for the matchup with Portland this weekend. With the injuries to Jackson and Markkanen, the Jazz are especially thin in the front court for the time being. Center Jusuf Nurkic has been sidelined to start with season with a partial plantar plate tear of the second toe in his right foot, and he isn’t scheduled to be re-evaluated until early November.
