According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Utah Jazz have suffered several injuries over the past few weeks, and they have just announced another injury, as Jusuf Nurkic will miss the remainder of the season.
“BREAKING: Utah Jazz starting center Jusuf Nurkic will have nose surgery on Wednesday, knocking him out for the remainder of the season, league sources tell me,” Haynes wrote on Twitter.
Nurkic has missed the last few games due to injury and will be out for the season. The Jazz had announced just over a week earlier that Jaren Jackson Jr. would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his left knee to ensure his long-term health.
The Jazz have been a topic of discussion for the past month due to accusations of tanking, and Nurkic’s recent news probably doesn’t make those claims any better. The Jazz were fined for sitting Jackson and Lauri Markkanen in the fourth quarter of one of their games earlier in the month, but head coach Will Hardy said they were under a minutes restriction.
The league may have thought differently, as they are trying to land teams throwing games for the purpose of better draft positioning in the future.
All 30 general managers were recently sent a memo detailing how the NBA plans to make changes to the anti-tanking rule for next season, including first-round picks being protected for only the top-4 or top-14+, lottery prospects being held at the trade deadline or at a later date, and other scenarios.
The Jazz are currently 18-39 and 13th in the Western Conference standings, and with recent injuries, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them continue their decline as the season continues. This will help them get better chances at the top picks, which can help them build their team with more exceptional talent.
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