The Utah Jazz are holding their breath for another of their top players.
All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen will undergo an MRI after suffering possible injuries to his right ankle and right hip during Wednesday’s practice, Kevin Reynolds of the Salt Lake Tribune reports. How much time he will miss remains to be seen.
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Utah has lost three big men to season-ending injuries in Jusuf Nurkic, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler. Losing Markkanen, who averaged a career-high 26.7 points per game this season, will be a major blow no matter the time.
Of course, the Jazz achieved an 18-40 record this season with almost no effort. The team is one of many in the NBA considered “tanking,” so much so that the NBA followed their example earlier this month and fined them $500,000 for what NBA commissioner Adam Silver called “blatant” tanking.
The NBA clearly still doesn’t trust them, with former Jazz reporter Tony Jones of The Athletic reporting that the league is sending an independent doctor to verify Markkanen’s MRI results.
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The Jazz currently have the sixth-best record in the NBA, behind the Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans. Nearly all of the above teams except the Pelicans (whose 2026 first-round pick will face the Atlanta Hawks) have every reason to bet on the rest of the season, as one of the best draft classes in NBA history is set to arrive this summer.
