Who plays center in Utah while Jusuf Nurkic is out
With Nurkic out for about the first eight games and Kyle Filipowski recovering from back surgery, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jaxson Hayes take the middle, and Ace Bailey gets the small lineups.
By James · 3 min read
Jaren Jackson Jr.Jaxson HayesAce BaileyPhotos: NBAProUtah opens the season against Memphis on Wednesday without either of the centers it planned to rely on. Jusuf Nurkic suffered a partial plantar plate tear in the second toe of his right foot in the first preseason game on October 4 and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, as Chris Haynes reported and RotoBaller and Eurohoops repeated, which Fantasy Alarm reads as roughly the first eight games. Kyle Filipowski had back surgery in the offseason with no timeline for his return, according to RotoWire's preseason notes for Yahoo Sports on October 16.
- Jaren Jackson Jr. UTA45thvs 47th
- Jaxson Hayes UTA240thvs 200+
- Ace Bailey UTA158thvs 150th
- Lauri Markkanen UTA47thvs 42nd
- Jusuf Nurkić UTA113thvs 96th
That leaves Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jaxson Hayes as the two players the coverage of the injury has named as the likeliest to start at center, and RotoWire expects the Jazz to play smaller lineups, which would open minutes for Ace Bailey and rebounds for Jackson and Lauri Markkanen. Below is what our projections say about each of them and which ones are worth a roster spot for the first month.
Every player in this story is on the fantasy basketball rankings and the 2026-27 projections, and the NBA depth charts show where each one stands in his team’s rotation tonight.
