According to Chris Haynes, Jaren Jackson Jr. is likely to miss the remainder of the season to have surgery on his left knee.
Haynes mentions that he is having the surgery to ensure his longterm health after a localized PVNS growth was discovered
post trade.
So what’s a PVNS growth? It sounds like it’s a benign tumor that can grow over time and can cause problems if not taken care of at some point. Here’s a lot of information about it.
The other point of interest: did the Jazz know about this? Apparently, this popped up in the physical after the trade? Tony Jones provided more context with that.
Now, this is something you could quibble with. Was Markkanen and Nurkic injured when they rested during those fourth quarters too?
Regardless, it’s nice that Jazz fans got a chance to get a flavor of what this could be because it looked really good. Markkanen and Jackson look and play huge together and have a chance to be a dominant force starting next season.
Obviously, the internet jumped on the story and what seemed like a clear tanking move by the Jazz, but that feels disingenuous. Do we really think a player would go through a literal surgery for a tank to happen? Does it coincide nicely with what is best for the Jazz long-term? Absolutely, and no doubt the Jazz were likely happy to let him make a decision for surgery that he might not have had the right opportunity to make it happen. This is a great opportunity to do an optional surgery, and it will help him stay healthier long-term
On Zach Lowe’s podcast, he mentioned that the door isn’t shut on him returning, but it’s very possible this is the last we’ll see of Jaren Jackson Jr. this season.
