Jackson's MCL Tear Is the Confirmation of What Was Already a Rough Start

What was a bad night got worse Tuesday when the diagnosis came back on Jaren Jackson Jr.: torn MCL in his right knee, six to eight weeks. The two-time All-Star left Monday's game against Memphis in the first half and won't be back until sometime in December at the earliest.

Markkanen's status is less dire — day-to-day with a wrist sprain — but he's out right now too, which means Utah is without both of its frontcourt cornerstones to open the season. I noted after the Nurkic injury earlier this month that this roster had already lost its starting center before a game was played. Now the two forwards who were supposed to carry the load are also unavailable, one of them for the better part of two months.

Jackson came to Utah this offseason as the centerpiece of the rebuild's next phase — a defensive anchor and a legitimate star. None of that changes with this injury, but the timeline does. Six to eight weeks puts his return somewhere around the new year, and the Jazz will have to figure out the frontcourt rotation without him. The news item on Kobe Bufkin's two-way signing suggests the roster is still being assembled around the edges; that work just got more urgent.