Jazz in Utah took a hit on Wednesday when Lauri Markkanen was diagnosed with two nondisplaced fractures in his right hand and told he will be re-evaluated in four weeks. The Utah Jazz did not provide a return timetable, which leaves the team planning without one of its most productive scorers.
Markkanen suffered the injury on Nov. 6 against the Dallas Mavericks. In eight games this season, he has averaged 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 39.7% from 3-point range.
Dallas made the damage visible
His most recent appearance against Dallas offered the sharpest view of what Utah is losing. Markkanen scored 24 points and hit eight 3-pointers, a level of shotmaking the Jazz will have to replace by committee while he is out.
Will Hardy put the problem bluntly: “There's no replacing Lauri.” That line fits the roster math. Utah cannot swap in one player for Markkanen’s scoring, rebounding and spacing, so the burden shifts to multiple rotation pieces to absorb those possessions and shots.
Utah’s thin margin
This is Markkanen’s fifth season with Utah, following four with Chicago and one with Cleveland. He was an All-Star in the 2022-23 season, when he averaged 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds and won the NBA’s Most Improved Player in the 2022-23 season.
For Utah, the practical issue is simple: four weeks is the first checkpoint, not a finish line. If the hand has not responded cleanly by then, the Jazz will be back where they started, trying to cover a high-volume scorer whose absence changes every lineup choice around him.
The next move belongs to the medical recheck. Until that happens, Utah has to play without the player who gave it 24 points and eight 3-pointers in its latest meeting with Dallas.
