Another day, another misfortune for the Utah Jazz. After a four-year rebuild that included tanking so egregiously that they were punished for it on multiple occasions, the Jazz expected to compete for a playoff spot this season after winning the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Instead, they are an NBA-worst 1-10, and things just got worse as All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen will miss at least a month after suffering two nondisplaced fractures in his right hand. 

Markkanen's absence will leave the Jazz even further shorthanded in the front court, where they are already running out of bodies. Last season's big-name deadline acquisition, Jaren Jackson Jr., was already out with a torn MCL, which has a 6-8-week recovery timeline. Additionally, starting center Jusuf Nurkić hasn't played this season due to a toe injury sustained in the preseason.

Meanwhile, the Jazz could have had a far deeper and younger frontcourt had they simply made different decisions in the offseason. They elected to sign-and-trade starting center Walker Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers for a haul of draft picks that may one day prove valuable, but won't ease fan frustration in watching Kessler thrive as a cornerstone of a Lakers team with the NBA's best record at 10-2. They passed on power forward Cameron Boozer with the No. 2 overall pick despite the presence of his father, former Jazz All-Star Carlos Boozer, in their scouting department. Now Boozer has the second-best Rookie of the Year odds for the Memphis Grizzlies, who are 7-3.

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These decisions may eventually bear fruit. No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson is starting to figure things out after a terrible start, averaging 24 points in his last three outings, all of which have come against strong defenses. The Jazz will presumably seek a cheaper Kessler replacement eventually, and the draft surplus generated by trading him is going to be important once Utah's young core starts to get expensive.

But the Jazz have been selling long-term outlook since they traded Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell four summers ago. Their two former stars have been playoff mainstays elsewhere. Kessler and Boozer both figure to be as well. Nobody expected the Jazz to win the 2027 championship, but at a certain point, promise has to become progress. 

These front-court injuries put any hope of short-term progress on hold, and Utah doesn't even stand to benefit from these struggles because its 2027 first-round pick belongs to the Grizzlies. The Jazz were already having perhaps the NBA's bleakest start, and losing Markkanen now might be the tipping point towards yet another lost season.