Jazz In Utah lost Lauri Markkanen to a right hand injury in a blow that leaves the team without its leading scorer for at least the next month. The Utah Jazz said Wednesday that Markkanen has two nondisplaced fractures and will be re-evaluated in four weeks after being hurt in the Nov. 6 game against the Dallas Mavericks.
The timing matters because Markkanen has been one of Utah’s most reliable options this season, averaging 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in eight games while shooting 39.7% from 3-point range. He also scored 24 points and made eight 3-pointers in his most recent appearance against Dallas, a reminder of how much scoring the Jazz lose when he is not on the floor.
Will Hardy did not try to soften the loss. “There’s no replacing Lauri,” he said, adding that Utah will have to do it in different ways and make the most of the skill sets of the players who are available. That is the immediate challenge for a team already dealing with a battered roster early in the season, with Jaren Jackson Jr. sidelined by a knee injury and Jusuf Nurkic out with a toe injury.
The injury also interrupts a strong stretch in Markkanen’s run with Utah. He is in his fifth season with the Jazz and was an All-Star in 2022-23, his first season with the team, when he averaged 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player. This latest setback does not come with a return date, only a checkpoint, and that leaves Utah waiting to learn whether four weeks is the start of a longer absence or the end of it.
