Jaxson Hayes Ruled Out Monday, Leaving the Jazz Frontcourt Dangerously Thin

Jaxson Hayes is officially out for Monday night's matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies thanks to a sore right shoulder.

The Utah Jazz frontcourt is suddenly looking thinner than a single-ply napkin. With Jusuf Nurkic already parked on the inactive list with a foot injury, Utah is rapidly running out of very tall humans to stand near the basket.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Jaxson Hayes (shoulder) listed out Monday.'"

Hayes actually looked decent in his 19 minutes during Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He managed nine points and five rebounds before the shoulder issue popped up, which is just enough production to make his absence annoying for a team desperate for rim protection.

Sitting out the second night of a back-to-back in late October is the most time-honored tradition in the modern NBA. But it leaves the Jazz scrambling to piece together a rotation that does not immediately bleed points in the paint.

When your emergency pivot plan involves dusting off Mo Bamba and hoping Kyle Filipowski can hold down the interior, you are officially in the danger zone. That is the kind of frontcourt depth chart that makes opposing guards start licking their chops in the locker room.

Anyone looking at the prop market for this game has to factor in that massive void under the basket. Memphis is going to see a runway to the rim that looks like an open toll booth with the cameras turned off.

Utah will need to figure out this center rotation fast. If Hayes and Nurkic both stay sidelined beyond Monday, the Jazz interior defense is going to be a scheduled layup line for the rest of the week.