Lauri Markkanen Cleared to Return Saturday, Saving the Jazz Frontcourt from Total Collapse

The Utah Jazz frontcourt has spent the last week operating like a Spirit Airlines flight—missing half its parts and hoping for the best—but they are finally getting their primary offensive engine back. According to Underdog NBA, Lauri Markkanen is officially available to play Saturday after dealing with a right wrist injury.

The seven-foot Finn originally tweaked the wrist on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies. He got tangled up with rookie Cameron Boozer in the first quarter, meaning Utah's franchise player temporarily got sidelined by a guy who was probably asking for a high school hall pass three years ago.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Lauri Markkanen (wrist) available to play Saturday.'"

His brief absence exposed just how thin things have gotten in Salt Lake City. Utah was already missing Jusuf Nurkic to a foot issue and Jaxson Hayes to a bad shoulder. Add in Jaren Jackson Jr., who managed to last exactly three games before needing season-ending knee surgery, and the Jazz were dangerously close to pulling fans out of the stands to play power forward.

Before the wrist scare, Markkanen was posting 19.0 points and 7.1 boards a night while shooting 37 percent from deep. Taking that kind of production out of the lineup turns a competitive NBA offense into a glorified scrimmage, so getting him back is the only thing keeping this roster afloat.

If you were holding a ticket on any Markkanen over props on Monday, you drew dead before the first quarter ended. But his return on Saturday means the betting lines for Utah's opponents just got a whole lot less expensive, and fantasy managers can safely plug him back into their starting lineups.

Now we wait to see if the wrist issue lingers or if Markkanen can immediately shoulder the offensive load. Until the rest of the frontcourt gets healthy, he is going to have to carry this team on his back—assuming that does not get injured next.