After a 1-10 start, Utah Jazz fans have asked the basketball Gods how it could get any worse. Well, the basketball Gods retorted by making it clear that the Jazz fanbase's question was not rhetorical. ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed that Lauri Markkanen will miss at least a month with a non-displaced fracture in his right hand.
It's amazing how we're almost a month into the 2026-27 season, and it's already been the season from hell for the Jazz. Not just because of how poor their start has been, but because the injuries only keep piling up. Now Markkanen will be out for some time, on top of Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee), Jusuf Nurkic (toe), and Keyonte George (ankle).
These injuries have had an iota of upside, as, by proxy, they've helped some of the Jazz's young talent, like Darryn Peterson and Ace Bailey, come into their own over the past week. However, this was not a season where the Jazz wanted to see moral victories. This was supposed to be a season where the goal was, at the very least, not be as bad (or maybe worse than last season).
But now, Markkanen's absence makes it even harder for them to bounce back from their start on top of everything else. At this point, it's almost like a bit. Their injuries have not really been a result of injury-prone players simply breaking down but simply a cascade of freak accidents.
At some point, they should be healthy, with should being the operative word.
Can Utah's youngsters overcome this?
So with everything the Jazz are dealing with at the moment, it's now on the likes of Peterson and Bailey to step up with the team down for the count. In all fairness, last night, they did pretty well in the face of adversity. They didn't snap their losing streak, but they made a valiant effort after being down by over 20 points to Miami.
Trying to sound optimistic when they have been this badly ravaged so quickly in a season where it wasn't supposed to be like this can make it worse, but hey, they are not taking this lying down. In the long run, this could be good for their young talent because it throws them into the fire.
It's bad enough that they are losing, but at least this give them the opportunity to learn the ropes and developing some winning habits. It probably won't help the win column much, but at least they can keep things interesting.
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