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By Bryan Colbert Jr.
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The Utah Jazz’s difficult start now includes an extended absence for one of their best players.
Lauri Markkanen has sustained a nondisplaced fracture in his right hand and will miss at least one month, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon reported Wednesday.
The news leaves Utah without another established frontcourt option as it tries to recover from a 1-10 start. Markkanen had already missed the previous two games while his injury was being described as a right wrist sprain. The reported timeline now stretches his absence well beyond those initial missed appearances.
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His right hand and wrist had been a concern for more than two weeks.
Markkanen exited Utah’s Oct. 26 game against Memphis after his hand became caught between a screener and a defender while he moved around a screen. His hand bent backward toward his forearm, and the Jazz ruled him out with a wrist injury.
Jaren Jackson Jr. also left that game with a knee injury, giving Utah two significant frontcourt concerns on the same night.
Markkanen subsequently returned to the lineup and continued producing despite the discomfort. He scored 21 points with 10 rebounds and four assists in an overtime loss to New Orleans on Nov. 4.
Two nights later, he scored 24 points against Dallas, making eight 3-pointers and adding eight rebounds in 34 minutes. Those performances showed how much offense Utah still received from him before he missed the next two games.
Now coach Will Hardy must adjust a rotation already missing Jackson and Jusuf Nurkic.
Jackson has been sidelined with a torn right MCL, while Nurkic has been out with a right foot injury. Keyonte George also missed Tuesday’s game with a right ankle sprain.
Utah’s younger players offered some encouragement in that 115-109 loss to Miami.
Rookie Darryn Peterson scored 25 points, Ace Bailey added 23 and Isaiah Collier contributed 17 off the bench. The Jazz rallied after entering the fourth quarter down 20 but still suffered their ninth consecutive defeat.
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Utah hosts Orlando on Wednesday with both teams seeking an early-season turnaround.
Markkanen’s absence increases the responsibility on Peterson and Bailey to generate offense, while the remaining rotation must absorb minutes usually assigned to several veteran starters.
The young players’ production against Miami provides something to build on, but the injury report gives Hardy little flexibility.
The reported monthlong absence is a minimum, rather than a guaranteed return date. Utah now faces the prospect of trying to end its losing streak and stabilize its season while one of its most important offensive players waits to return.
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