As Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen suffered an injury in Wednesday's practice, there was some talk about the NBA possibly taking a deeper look at the situation with the team at the forefront of tanking speculation. While there were rumors that the NBA sent doctors to confirm Markkanen's injury to the Jazz, the latest reporting has cleared up all the details.
Tony Jones of The Athletic originally reported that the league was "sending out independent doctors for verification." He would say on Twitter, formerly of Twitter, that it would not happen, but that the NBA would monitor the results, although that is "standard practice."
"I'm told Lauri Markkanen is getting his MRI, so the Jazz should have results. The NBA is evaluating the results as standard practice. They did not send medical personnel to Utah. I got that part wrong. I'm sorry," Jones wrote Thursday afternoon.
Utah is one of several teams accused of tanking, with the franchise even fined $500,000 for what the NBA said was "the management of their roster for recent games." This included hitting key Jazz players such as Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic in the fourth quarter when the games were close.
Jazz's Lauri Markkanen awaits MRI results
Shortly afterward, it would be revealed that Jackson and Nurkic would miss the season due to knee and nose injuries, respectively. According to Kevin Reynolds of The Salt Lake Tribune, Markkanen will receive an MRI on his right ankle and right hip to determine the severity of his injury.
"Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen may miss some time after suffering a concussion during practice on Wednesday," Reynolds wrote Wednesday. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, "Markkanen will be evaluated for a right ankle and right hip injury. The 7-foot player will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury."
Markkanen is averaging a team-high and career-best 26.7 points, along with 6.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three-point range. It remains to be seen what the MRI results say about Markkanen.
