The Utah Jazz are going to have to open the season without Jusuf Nurkic, and that shakes up the frontcourt right away.
Nurkić was diagnosed with a partial plantar plate tear of the second toe of his right foot after Utah’s first preseason game against Denver on Oct. 4. He’ll be re-evaluated in four weeks, which means the Jazz are staring at a stretch without the center they expected to start the year with and likely log 25 to 30 minutes a night.
That kind of absence doesn’t just remove a starter. It creates a vacancy. And in Utah, the clearest player positioned to benefit is offseason pickup Jaxson Hayes.
Hayes has already turned heads in the early part of preseason, but the bigger reason he stands out is simple roster math. Utah doesn’t have a pile of traditional centers ready to soak up Nurkić’s minutes.
Jaren Jackson Jr. can play both the four and the five, though he’s usually best with another big next to him. Kyle Filipowski can handle the five in spots, but there are still questions about his defense if he’s asked to hold down center full time.
That leaves Hayes and Mo Bamba as the most obvious options for real center minutes.
Bamba could absolutely climb because of this injury, but the first game Utah played without Nurkić told a pretty clear story. Against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, Hayes started, while Bamba played 20 minutes with the second unit.
That matters, especially when you look at how the Jazz valued each player this summer. Hayes came in at around $6 million per season.
Bamba is just over $3 million. Utah’s early usage, plus the money attached to each signing, points to Hayes as the player the team trusts more right now.
And it’s easy to see why. Bamba brings defensive intrigue and some floor-spacing upside, but Hayes gives the Jazz an interior presence on offense and comes with the track record of being a proven rotation big from his time on a playoff roster with the LA Lakers.
So while Nurkić’s injury leaves Utah short-handed, it also opens the door for Hayes to carve out a real role. He looks like he has a place in the rotation when opening night arrives later this month, and the only real question is whether that spot is as the starting center or as a key bench piece.
Preseason game two against Denver suggested Will Hardy could already be leaning toward Hayes as part of the day-one starting group. Ace Bailey could still push for that last opening, with Jaren Jackson Jr. sliding to the five for now. But Hayes is very much in the mix.
For the Jazz, he fills a need immediately. And if he plays well while Nurkić is out, there’s a path for him to keep earning minutes even after the starter is back.
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