Jusuf

Nurkić

In a move that should shock nobody, another member of the Jazz has been shut down for the season. Nurkić’s absence should free up plenty of playing time for Kyle Filipowski, but Utah’s rotations have no rhyme or reason as the team looks to win as few games as possible down the stretch.

Due to nose injury management, Nurkić will miss a second consecutive game. Kyle Filipowski started Friday’s loss to the Grizzlies, playing 28 minutes. In theory, he should remain in the starting lineup, but Utah’s handling of Filipowski’s workload has been a bit puzzling at times. Fantasy managers should operate under the assumption that Filipowski will get another start.

The veteran center will be in street clothes for Friday’s matchup, marking his 16th missed game of the season. Nurkić is enjoying a nice bounce-back season, posting averages of 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists over his 41 appearances. Without him in the lineup, Utah will rely on Kyle Filipowski and Oscar Tshiebwe for frontcourt minutes.

Love’s absence isn’t meaningful now that Jaren Jackson Jr. is on the roster. Kyle Filipowski may see a few extra minutes behind Jusuf Nurkić, but Filipowski isn’t worth a look while competing for minutes in a crowded Utah frontcourt.

After missing Utah’s last two games, Love is on track to be available for Saturday’s game. However, with Jaren Jackson Jr., Kyle Filipowski and Jusuf Nurkić available, there may not be enough minutes for Love to affect fantasy basketball. Nurkić has been a DNP-CD in the last two games; if he isn’t starting, don’t expect him to play.

Love has missed Utah’s last two games due to illness. His availability does not affect fantasy basketball, especially with the Jazz adding Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline. While it remains to be seen how much JJJ and Jusuf Nurkić will play on Saturday, Love is not likely to get the minutes needed to offer value.

While teammate Isaiah Collier played all 48 minutes, Markkanen didn’t even play half that. The Jazz forward logged 23 minutes in Atlanta, and that’s one of the concerns for fantasy managers who have him rostered. The good news is that Markkanen actually played, unlike Jusuf Nurkić, who was active. Hopefully, for the sake of those who have Lauri rostered, the Jazz will rule him out when he isn’t playing, rather than resorting to the Nurkić-related shenanigans of the last two games.

Love will miss a second consecutive game due to illness. Jusuf Nurkić is available, but that was also the case for Tuesday’s win over the Pacers, a game in which he did not play. The only safe option for fantasy managers is Kyle Filipowski.

Live did not play in Tuesday’s win over the Pacers. If he’s available for Thursday night, there’s no guarantee that the veteran forward/center will play. Starting center Jusuf Nurkić was available on Tuesday but never saw the floor, with Kyle Filipowski playing heavy minutes. Of the rotation bigs on the Jazz roster, Filipowski is the only one who fantasy managers can feel safe slotting into their lineups.

While Jusuf Nurkić was made available for Tuesday’s game, he never played. While that was an infuriating development for those who have the veteran center rostered, that was good news for those who have Filipowski. The second-year forward/center recorded a double-double, with the 16 rebounds being two shy of his career-high. Even with the Jazz adding Jaren Jackson Jr. via trade, the clear focus for the rest of the season is to do what they can to hold onto their top-8 protected lottery pick. That means playing time should not be a concern for Filipowski, especially after the All-Star break.