Utah's Two Best Bigs Are Now Both Unavailable

I've already written twice this week about what happened Monday in Memphis, so I'll keep this brief: the Jazz are now without Jaren Jackson Jr. for six to eight weeks after his torn MCL, and Lauri Markkanen is day-to-day with a sprained wrist. That's both of their marquee frontcourt pieces gone from the same first half.

Jackson is a two-time All-Star, and his absence is the more serious of the two. A torn MCL at the start of a season is the kind of thing that reshapes a team's first two months whether they want it to or not. Markkanen's wrist is the softer concern for now, though day-to-day designations have a way of stretching.

Worth remembering: I noted back in October that Jusuf Nurkic was already out with a foot injury when the season opened, which made the front office's earlier roster decisions look thin. Now the picture is considerably worse. Utah is navigating the early schedule without its starting center and, effectively, both of its top forwards at the same time.

Kobe Bufkin is on the roster after the Jazz signed him to a two-way contract last week. That's the depth they have to work with right now.