Last night looked like it could have been catastrophic for the Utah Jazz. Yeah, they lost, but their fighting spirit was pretty encouraging to watch despite everything working against them. That didn't change the fact that Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr.'s injuries could have changed the entire season if they were bad enough to keep them out long-term.
That was all going to depend on what their prognoses were. First, we got JJJ, as it was confirmed that he tore his MCL, which will sideline him for six weeks minimum. As for Markkanen, it was confirmed he has a wrist sprain, making him day-to-day, as reported from the Jazz themselves.
The conclusion to draw this is, yeah, this is bad, but it could have been so much worse. Losing JJJ is going to sting for a little bit, though Utah did pretty well with Mo Bamba of all people filling in for him. There's no telling how much his injury will hold him back.
As for Markkanen, well, that injury looked bad last night. Situations like those can lead to a broken wrist. The fact that it was just a sprain is a biy miraculous when you think about it.
The lone concern for Markkanen
The biggest takeaway is that Markkanen should be back in quite literally no time. The only issue with his injury is that he sprained his shooting wrist. That could be a lingering problem for the rest of the season. Not because it could affect his availability, but that it could also impact his effectiveness as a player.
Markkanen is one of the league's best scoring bigs, as he is undeniably an elite three-level scorer for his size. If his wrist affects his ability as a shooter, that could be bad news for the Jazz. At the same time, it may not be for long.
If it's only bad enough to make him day-to-day, then hopefully it will recover well enough that if it affects his shooting abilities, it may not be for too long. No one needs to worry about this from Markkanen's end until he shows that it's a problem, and there's only way to find out if it will be.
Obviously, this is not how Utah would have wanted things to go to start the season, but the rug was pulled out from underneat them. This is definitely a stumble for them, but with how well they've fought to start, it's not the end of the world for the Jazz.
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