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Lauri Markkanen Out at Least Four Weeks With Two Fractures in His Right Hand

The Utah Jazz announced on Wednesday that Markkanen suffered two nondisplaced fractures in Friday's game against Dallas and will be reevaluated in four weeks. ESPN reported that he will be sidelined for at least one month.

By Orbit Post2 min read
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Lauri Markkanen Out at Least Four Weeks With Two Fractures in His Right Hand
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lauri_Markkanen,_Cavaliers_vs_Rockets_on_December_15,_2021_(cropped).jpg)

Key points

  • The Utah Jazz will be without Lauri Markkanen for at least a month.
  • ESPN reporters Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon reported that Markkanen sustained a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will be sidelined for at least one month.
  • The injury was originally diagnosed as a sprained wrist.

The Utah Jazz will be without Lauri Markkanen for at least a month. The team announced on Wednesday that the 29-year-old forward suffered two nondisplaced fractures in his right hand during Friday's game against Dallas and will be reevaluated in four weeks.

ESPN reporters Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon reported that Markkanen sustained a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will be sidelined for at least one month. Charania wrote: "Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen has sustained a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will be sidelined for at least one month, sources tell me and @BannedMacMahon."

First called a sprained wrist

The injury was originally diagnosed as a sprained wrist. That diagnosis forced Markkanen to sit out the last two games, against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Miami Heat, before the Jazz announced the fractures on Wednesday. What looked like a short absence is now a month or more.

A separate injury in the same hand

Markkanen had already hurt the same hand earlier this season. He suffered a wrist strain on October 26 against the Memphis Grizzlies, in the same game where Jaren Jackson Jr. went down with the MCL injury that still has him out. Markkanen missed one game with the strain, returned for four more appearances, and then sat out the last two games.

KSL Sports reporter Chandler Holt reported that the two injuries are not connected. "I'm told that the Lauri Markkanen injury is unrelated to the wrist strain; it just happens to be in the same hand. The fracture happened in the Dallas game, and he will be re-evaluated in four weeks," Holt wrote.

His season so far

Through eight games this season, Markkanen is averaging 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30.9 minutes per night. He is shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from three-point range. Injuries have followed the former All-Star through his time in Utah. He was limited to 66, 55, 47 and 42 games in his first four seasons with the Jazz.

What it means for Utah

Utah is off to a 1-10 start, and Markkanen now joins a long injury list. Jackson Jr. is still recovering from his torn MCL. Sports Illustrated reported that the Jazz are likely to be without four of their five typical starters until further notice, with Keyonte George down with an ankle sprain and Jusuf Nurkic yet to play in a regular season game this season while he recovers from a preseason foot injury.

A month-long absence would place Markkanen's return in early to mid December and would sideline him for at least a dozen regular season games. The Jazz gave no return date on Wednesday. The next word from the team comes at the reevaluation in four weeks.

Timeline

  1. Oct 26, 2026Markkanen suffers a wrist strain against the Memphis Grizzlies, in the same game where Jaren Jackson Jr. goes down with an MCL injury. Markkanen misses one game, then returns for four more appearances.
  2. Nov 6, 2026Markkanen suffers two nondisplaced fractures in his right hand during the game against Dallas. The injury is first diagnosed as a sprained wrist, and he sits out the next two games.
  3. Nov 11, 2026The Jazz announce the fractures and say Markkanen will be reevaluated in four weeks. ESPN reports he will be sidelined for at least one month.

Sources