Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. Both Exit Early Against Memphis

Utah lost two forwards in the first half Monday night against the Grizzlies — Lauri Markkanen with a wrist injury and Jaren Jackson Jr. with a knee — and neither returned. Losing one starter mid-game is manageable. Losing both in the same half forces whoever is left to figure it out on the fly.

The timing is rough. Back in October I noted that Nurkic's foot injury had already stripped Utah of its starting center before the season got going. Now the two most prominent forwards on the roster are in question as well. That's a lot of the frontcourt unavailable in a short stretch.

The Jazz waived Blake Hinson earlier this month and added Kobe Bufkin on a two-way deal, so the depth behind the starters is thinner than it was. How serious Monday's injuries are won't be clear until the team gets imaging back, but the next few days of updates will matter quite a bit for how Utah lines up the rest of this week.