Utah Jazz See New Update Emerge for Lauri Markkanen Injury

The Utah Jazz saw their star forward Lauri Markkanen go down with an injury in team practice earlier this week that'll inevitably lead to him missing some time moving forward.

According to an update from ESPN's Shams Charania, Markkanen will be out for at least the next two weeks as he recovers from a recent hip injury.

"Utah's Lauri Markkanen will be re-evaluated in two weeks after an MRI on Thursday showed symptomatic hip impingement with associated inflammation and bone bruise, sources tell ESPN. Markkanen also twisted an ankle in practice Wednesday but those tests returned clean."

Utah's Lauri Markkanen will be re-evaluated in two weeks after an MRI on Thursday showed symptomatic hip impingement with associated inflammation and bone bruise, sources tell ESPN. Markkanen also twisted an ankle in practice Wednesday but those tests returned clean.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 27, 2026

Markkanen had gone down with what was initially deemed an ankle/hip injury after a play in team practice, which would leave him to be listed as questionable before the Jazz's game against the New Orleans Pelicans before being downgraded to out ahead of tip-off.

According to Jazz head coach Will Hardy, Markkanen had gone down on an awkward landing to the basket, tweaking his ankle and hip that's getting looked into further.

"It was an awkward landing going toward the basket--tweaked his ankle, sort of jammed his hip, so he was pulled from practice, and he's getting looked at now," Hardy said.

Now, it looks like Markkanen will be slated to miss some extended time moving forward— at least two weeks, and maybe more depending on how that re-evaluation process goes.

Jazz Will Be Without Lauri Markkanen For Two Weeks

It's yet another tough blow for a Jazz rotation that's dealt with several injuries in the past few days and weeks. Starters like Keyonte George, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic have either dealt with extended injury absences or been ruled out for the remainder of the season, along with bench guard Vince Williams Jr. being ruled out for the rest of the year due to an ACL tear.

Markkanen is the latest to add onto that trend of multi-game injury absences for the Jazz, and thus leaves this rotation even more shorthanded as they traverse through the final weeks of the regular season.

Feb 11, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward/center Lauri Markkanen (23) makes a quick move around Sacramento Kings forward Precious Achiuwa (9) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

Markkanen's been putting together some career-best numbers throughout this season when on the floor, averaging 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 47.7% from the field and 35.5% from three. However, that career-best campaign will now be put on a brief pause for the next few games.

As to which games Markkanen will be on track to miss out on, he'll likely remain sidelined for at least the next seven games on Utah's regular season calendar following their first game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Being ruled out for the next two weeks will also officially take Markkanen out of discussions for end-of-season awards, such as an All-NBA selection, as he'll now be short of the 65-game minimum required via the NBA's Player Participation Policy.

Without Markkanen, it'll leave the Jazz to do even more shuffling in their rotation, perhaps handing a few more minutes over to young talents like Ace Bailey, Cody Williams, and Kyle Filipowski while also allowing them to open up their scoring arsenal a bit further without his presence on the offensive end.