The Utah Jazz are searching for answers at center, and Sunday night gave them at least one encouraging clue: Ace Bailey can rebound.
Utah dropped its game against the Lakers, but Bailey’s work on the glass stood out. He finished with 12 rebounds, the most by anyone in the game. That led the Jazz and topped the board overall, ahead of Walker Kessler’s seven for the Lakers, Luka Doncic’s eight, and Keyonte George’s nine.
For a Jazz team suddenly thin in the middle, that kind of production matters. Kessler is gone after being sent to the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign-and-trade this summer, and Jusuf Nurkic is sidelined as well. Jaren Jackson Jr. can play center, but he’s not a great rebounder, which leaves Utah with a clear problem.
Nurkic was supposed to help steady things, but his status has only made the situation tougher. He suffered a partial plantar plate tear of the second toe in his right foot during a preseason game on October 4 and is out indefinitely. He’ll be reevaluated at the four-week mark.
Kyle Filipowski missed the preseason and is available to play, though he could still be dealing with the remnants of his back issue. Beyond him, the Jazz’s options include Tony Bradley, Jaxson Hayes, and Mo Bamba.
That’s a shaky group, and it’s why Bailey’s rebounding has become worth watching. Double-digit boards every night is a tall ask, but if he can keep making that kind of impact, he can take some pressure off a roster that badly needs help cleaning up misses.
Bailey is not the full fix, and he’s not a center. Still, in a situation this unsettled, any player who can chip in on the glass has value. His performance against the Lakers suggested he may be able to ease some of Utah’s rebounding problems while the Jazz try to piece everything together.
In Other News...
Jazz Showed Something Fans Have Been Waiting To See
The Jazz had every reason to sag when the game tilted the wrong way against Memphis, especially after the lineup took hits in the middle of the action. Instead, Utah kept competing and got useful minutes and energy from a group that included Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and Mo Bamba, a sign the roster can still find some fight when the night starts to go sideways.
Josh Green was part of that effort too, giving the Jazz another needed boost in a game that wound up in the loss column. For a team trying to show more than just flashes, the encouraging part was less the final score than the way Utah kept responding after the setbacks, even with the games biggest injury questions still hanging over the aftermath. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz Suddenly Face A Lauri Markkanen Concern They Can't Afford
Lauri Markkanens night against the Grizzlies took an early turn when he exited after a wrist issue, leaving the Jazz to wonder just how serious the setback might be. For a team already thin up front because of other injuries, even a short-term absence from its top frontcourt scorer would be a tough break to absorb.
The concern is not just about one game, but about how Utah would patch together its rotation if Markkanen has to miss time. He was ruled out after heading to the locker room, and with the exact extent of the injury still unclear, the Jazz are left waiting on the kind of update no team wants when its frontcourt depth is already stretched. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Just Showed Why This Roster Could Be Tougher To Defend
The Timberwolves got another early-season look at what their new point guard can do in a home setting, and even with foul trouble limiting his night, he still left a mark. He finished with 15 points, eight assists and two steals in just 16 minutes, a useful reminder of how quickly Minnesota can put pressure on an opponent when the ball is moving and the tempo is right.
For the Jazz, the broader lesson is less about one box score and more about the kind of test this Northwest Division race can become. Minnesota is 3-0, Rudy Gobert said he has not changed the way he plays, and other teams in the division are already dealing with their own issues and stretches of uneven play. The challenge for Utah is clear enough even before the schedule tightens: there are a few teams in this group built to make life uncomfortable on both ends. [Read more 🡒]