What Jaren Jackson Jr.'s Injury Means for the Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz announced the unfortunate news surrounding their trade deadline addition, Jaren Jackson Jr. right before heading into the All-Star break, revealing that the two-time All-Star would be sidelined indefinitely due to left knee surgery to remove a PVNS growth.

It effectively ends Jackson Jr.'s first season with the Jazz abruptly after three games following his deal at the deadline from the Memphis Grizzlies, and now puts a focus on next season to see the former Defensive Player of the Year be able to take the floor once again.

But what are the implications for this season? The Jazz now have just under 30 games to go before their 2025-26 campaign ends, with a lot bound to play out between now and when Jackson Jr. is officially able to return to the floor at 100%.

With that in mind, here are three immediate consequences that will play out for the Jazz across the coming weeks as they finish out the year without now two of their regular starters in the frontcourt.

1. The Tank Becomes Easier

Feb 9, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy watches from the sideline against the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The secret is out that the Jazz have every intention to maximize their lottery odds heading into this summer for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, and are more than ready to lose the necessary games to retain their top-eight protected first round pick with the OKC Thunder. That's been clear for the past week in which Utah has consistently rested starters down the fourth quarter stretch for multiple games, paired with Will Hardy's unapologetic nature in doing so.

That process now becomes a whole lot easier without Jackson in the mix. He was only playing an average of 24 minutes a night for the three games that he played and played zero total minutes in the fourth. But now being without him entirely, it leaves a major void in Utah's frontcourt and their defense as a whole.

The Jazz need their first-round pick to land within the top eight slots to keep it. Right now, they're projected to have the sixth-best odds with just under 30 games to go. Expect Hardy and Co. to do what they must in order to press forward with the tank and get their best-possible odds at not only keeping their selection but getting the best odds for a high pick as well.

2. More Minutes for Kyle Filipowski

Jan 22, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Kyle Filipowski (22) dribbles during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

The one player on the Jazz's roster who feels bound to see a notable jump in playing time without Jackson Jr. in the lineup is Kyle Filipowski.

The Jazz don't have the same depth in the frontcourt they did pre-trade deadline without Taylor Hendricks or Kyle Anderson there to inherit those open minutes now left by Jackson. But that instead makes Filipowski the clear candidate to slot into the starting lineup in his place to now get a much larger sample size to see what he's capable of in the post-All-Star stretch.

As a starter, Filipowski has been much more productive this season compared to when he comes off the bench, averaging 12.2 points and 8.5 rebounds a night while shooting over 50% from the field.

Defensively, Filipowski might have some holes in his game. But in the Jazz's efforts to develop their young talent before buckling down for 2026-27, Filipowski should see a lot more opportunity coming his way regardless.

3. Signing Another Big Man?

Feb 7, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Utah Jazz center Oscar Tshiebwe (34) warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Without Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler for the season, the Jazz are a bit limited in their big man depth.

If the Jazz decide to roll out a starting frontcourt combination of Markkanen-Filipowski-Nurkic without Jackson Jr., that'll leave Kevin Love as the only obvious backup big man that Utah could slot in behind them. He's been available in just over half of the team's regular season games up until the All-Star break.

Therefore, it could be reasonable for the Jazz to target another backup big man to add to their traditional roster for the rest of the season, if they were eager to round out their rotation.

Two possible names the Jazz could look towards if they didn't want to look too far outside the box: two-way signee Oscar Tshiebwe, who's played in two games this season already, or current SLC Stars center Mo Bamba, who recently had a 10-day stint with the Toronto Raptors before signing back to Utah's G League squad, and could be a player to keep an eye on as a worthwhile fit on the main roster.

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