Markkanen Clears Neck Scare, Looks Like Himself Again for Utah
Lauri Markkanen is off Utah's injury report after a brief neck and head scare early in the 2026-27 season, and he showed it with a 19-point night in a win over Phoenix on Oct. 16. He's coming off a 2025-26 campaign in which he averaged 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 42 games for the Jazz. At 29 and entering his ninth season, he remains the focal point of Utah's offense.
By the Jazz Nightly Desk · updated 4 d ago01The story of the nightClean Bill of HealthMarkkanen is not on the Jazz's injury report right now.
Markkanen is not on the Jazz's injury report right now. He went through a scare in early October: on Oct. 6, in a loss to Denver, he logged zero minutes, and the next day, Oct. 7, he was listed day-to-day with a neck and head issue. He was cleared on Oct. 12 and played that same night against San Antonio, putting up 11 points and 2 assists in 18.9 minutes in a win. Four days later, on Oct. 16, he looked fully healthy again, scoring 19 points with 5 rebounds in 27.2 minutes in a win over Phoenix. For a 7-1, 240-pound forward-center who carries Utah's offense, that clean health report matters.
02Last Season's NumbersLast season, 2025-26, Markkanen played 42 games for Utah and averaged 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0…
Last season, 2025-26, Markkanen played 42 games for Utah and averaged 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks in 34.3 minutes a night. He shot 47.7% from the field, 35.5% from three and 89.6% from the foul line, with a 60.8 true shooting mark on a 26.9 usage rate, and the team was a minus-1.3 with him on the floor. He had big individual nights in there too — 29 points against Houston in a loss, 27 points in a loss to Orlando and 27 points again in a win over Indiana. Those are all 2025-26 numbers, not what he's doing this year.
03Early Returns in 2026-27Utah's season is already underway, and Markkanen's log shows the full range of it.
Utah's season is already underway, and Markkanen's log shows the full range of it. He opened with 17 points in just 13.7 minutes in a win over Denver on Oct. 4, then didn't play in a loss to Denver two nights later on Oct. 6 — the game that lined up with his neck and head issue. After getting cleared on Oct. 12, he scored 11 points in 18.9 minutes in a win over San Antonio, then followed with 19 points and 5 rebounds in 27.2 minutes in a win over Phoenix on Oct. 16. Wearing No. 23 at forward-center, the 29-year-old Arizona product is in his ninth NBA season.
04Starting Five BuzzA Jazz Notes report from Sept.
A Jazz Notes report from Sept. 29, via Shreyas Laddha, touched on Utah's starting five and named Markkanen alongside Peterson, Sensabaugh and Nurkic in that conversation. That's a preseason report, not a confirmed lineup call, so it should be read as early positioning rather than a settled rotation. Still, it's worth tracking as the Jazz figure out who starts next to Markkanen as the season develops. Nothing beyond that report has been said about how the five spots will actually shake out once games are underway in 2026-27.
05OutlookMarkkanen is Utah's number one offensive option, and the swing factor for the Jazz this season is simple: can he…
Markkanen is Utah's number one offensive option, and the swing factor for the Jazz this season is simple: can he stay on the floor. He already had one early scare with the neck and head issue that cost him a game, but he answered it with a clean game against San Antonio and a strong one against Phoenix right after. If he keeps playing anywhere close to his 2025-26 level — 26.7 points a night at a 60.8 true shooting mark — Utah's offense runs through him. The opening weeks suggest he's back to full strength after the early hiccup.
Durant26.0 ppg
CHI
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