The Utah Jazz will likely complete their 2023-24 campaign without forward Lauri Markkanen.
Per the Jazz, Markkanen was diagnosed with a right shoulder injury on Saturday. The 26-year-old re-aggravated a previous right shoulder impingement against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday and then missed Utah’s game against the Houston Rockets on Friday.
Lauri Markkanen Update Final Nail in Jazz Coffin
Markkanen will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The 2023-24 regular season ends on Apr. 14. The Jazz will face the Golden State Warriors in the season finale.
Markkanen has averaged 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game this season, shooting 39.9 percent from 3. It’s Markkanen’s second season averaging at least 20 points per game. He scored a career-high 25.6 points per game last season, leading to his first All-Star selection.
An elite play-finisher, the 7-foot-0 forward has become the face of Jazz’s rebuild since being traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2022 offseason.
Meanwhile, Utah has the look of a team that’s tanking. The Jazz are just 3-15 since the All-Star Weekend, prioritizing the development of rookie Keyonte George. Jordan Clarkson, averaging 17.1 points per game, has only played in nine of Utah’s 18 games since the break.
Now projected to have the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the question is if the Jazz will try to add another young piece or package the pick with Clarkson or Collin Sexton to get another cornerstone player.
To that point, Sexton has made significant strides in his development, averaging 18.8 points per game. However, his aggressive play style doesn’t seem quite to Hardy’s liking. Furthermore, the chemistry between Sexton and the team’s main perimeter players has been off all season. As a result, he may find himself on the move for a star player who’s a more natural fit within Utah’s core
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