After Markkanen's Fracture, the 1-10 Jazz Give a Month to Peterson and Bailey

Photo: NBA.com. Lauri Markkanen in Utah Jazz uniform, official NBA.com headshot. Card design: The Dyme.

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will be out at least one month, ESPN reported Wednesday. The Jazz are 1-10 and have lost nine straight, so the next four weeks belong to the young core that has already been carrying the nights he missed.

The fracture is a new injury, separate from the right wrist injury that kept him out of the last two games, KSL Sports reported. It is the same hand, it happened in the Nov. 6 loss at Dallas, and he will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

The shooter was just finding it

Markkanen's season line is 18.0 points and 6.8 rebounds in 30.9 minutes over eight games, per ESPN. His 38.9 percent from the field looks rough until the three-point column: 29 of 73, or 39.7 percent.

That early number hides a hot streak. Markkanen played six minutes of the Oct. 26 loss to Memphis and missed the next game, at home against San Antonio. He came back against Portland and went 2 of 11 from three. In the three games after that, he scored 22, 21 and 24 and made 17 of 34 threes. The last of those, the night at Dallas, was 8 of 15 from deep in 34 minutes.

So the Jazz lose Markkanen just as his three was falling.

What the three games without him actually showed

The Jazz have already played three games without Markkanen this season: home against San Antonio, at Minnesota and home against Miami. They lost all three, 117-111, 115-100 and 115-109, per ESPN.

The scoring barely moved. Utah averaged 106.7 points in those three games and 106.4 in the eight he appeared in. The defense did not fall apart either. Opponents scored 115.7 a night without him and 118.4 with him.

Three games is a small sample, but the uncomfortable read is that Utah has lost with him too, 1-7 in games he played. A month without him changes who takes the shots more than it changes the standings.

Darryn Peterson's month

The shots go to Darryn Peterson first. In the three games without Markkanen, Peterson scored 18, 26 and 25, a total of 69 points on 25-of-53 shooting with 11 threes, per ESPN's box scores. Against Minnesota he played 35 minutes and finished plus-3 in a 15-point loss.

Ace Bailey has been the swing piece. He scored 19 against San Antonio and 23 on 10-of-15 shooting against Miami, with a seven-point night against Minnesota in between. Keyonte George scored 31 against San Antonio, then missed the Miami game with an ankle injury, per ESPN's injury report.

The ball-security number is the one to watch. Utah turned it over 19, 13 and 18 times in those three games, 50 total (by our count), while Miami committed eight on Tuesday. The question is whether Peterson and Bailey can cut it while carrying more of the offense.

What the month is for

Utah starts the month Wednesday at home against Orlando, the first game of a stretch that will not be judged by the record.

Markkanen's return matters most for the version of this team that shows up after it. If Peterson and Bailey come out of December holding more of the offense, Markkanen comes back to a Jazz team with a real second option. If not, Utah loses more games and the young core gets more shots without learning much from them.

Sources

• Shams Charania, ESPN, on X: Markkanen non-displaced fracture, right hand
• Sportando: Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen sidelined with right-hand fracture
• Chandler Holt, KSL Sports, on X
• ESPN: Lauri Markkanen game log
• ESPN: Jazz schedule and results
• ESPN box score, Jazz at Mavericks
• ESPN box score, Spurs at Jazz
• ESPN box score, Jazz at Timberwolves
• ESPN box score, Heat at Jazz
• ESPN NBA injury report