The Utah Jazz are staring at another major hit to an already battered roster, and this one lands with Lauri Markkanen.
According to ESPN, the Jazz forward will miss at least one month after suffering a non-displaced fracture in his right hand. Utah had already been managing what it called a “right wrist sprain,” but on Wednesday the team said the former All-Star is now out indefinitely.
Markkanen first hurt the wrist on Oct. 26 against the Memphis Grizzlies, when his right arm got pinned between two players on a screen. He sat out the next game, then returned for four straight contests without a minutes restriction before missing Utah’s last two games.
Now the injury has been revealed as more serious than originally believed, and Markkanen is set for a longer absence with the hand fracture.
His loss leaves the Jazz extremely thin. He joins Jaren Jackson Jr., Jusuf Nurkic, and Keyonte George on the sideline for a team that has dropped 10 of its first 11 games to open the 2026-27 season.
Jackson has been out since the end of October with a torn MCL in his right knee. Nurkic still hasn’t made his season debut because of a partial plantar plate tear in his right foot. George missed Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Heat after spraining his right ankle Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, though he is listed day-to-day.
For Utah, Markkanen’s latest injury is another frustrating chapter in a stretch where his availability has become a constant issue. Since signing a four-year extension worth about $200 million in August 2024, he has missed more than half of the Jazz’s games over the last two seasons.
The timing couldn’t be much worse for a team trying to stop the slide. After splitting its first two games, Utah has lost nine straight by an average of 11.6 points per game. Head coach Will Hardy will try to get the Jazz moving in the right direction Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic, in the second game of a back-to-back.
In Other News...
Lauri Markkanen Injury Is The Last Thing This Jazz Team Needed
The Jazz were already trying to piece together a difficult start to the season when Lauri Markkanen went down again, this time after Fridays game against Dallas. Utah said he has two nondisplaced fractures in his right hand and will be reevaluated in four weeks, another frustrating setback for a team that has already spent too much time dealing with injuries and trying to find any kind of rhythm.
Markkanen had previously been sidelined with what was initially believed to be a sprained wrist, and the latest update only deepens the concern around a core player who has battled multiple injuries during his time in Utah. For a team already searching for traction, losing one of its most important scorers and frontcourt pieces adds another layer of uncertainty to a season that has not offered much relief. [Read more 🡒]
Lauri Markkanens Injury News Just Made Utahs Rotation Even Thinner
Utahs rotation took another hit with Lauri Markkanen now dealing with a right-hand injury that will keep him out for a significant stretch. The forward has sustained a non-displaced fracture and is expected to miss at least a month, a setback that comes on top of the earlier wrist strain he dealt with this season.
For a Jazz team already trying to navigate a long list of sidelined key players, the timing is especially rough. Markkanens absence strips away one of the groups most dependable scoring options and leaves Utah with even less margin for error as it tries to piece together minutes and production from an already stretched roster. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz Get One Meaningful Pre-Game Question As Injuries Keep Piling Up
The injury list keeps growing around Utah, and the latest pregame update leaves the Jazz trying to piece together another lineup on the fly. Trey Alexander, Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Jusuf Nurkic are all out, another reminder of how thin the rotation has become as the season grinds on and availability keeps shifting from night to night.
There is at least one bit of movement worth watching before tipoff: Keyonte George is questionable after missing one game with a right ankle sprain. For a Jazz team already leaning hard on depth, any chance to get him back matters, especially with Markkanen now facing a longer absence and the offense needing someone to help steady the backcourt while the injuries keep piling up. [Read more 🡒]