Utah Jazz DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (back) has been ruled out for Thursday's tilt against San Antonio. Back spasms limited Markkanen to only 17 minutes last time out against Sacramento, and the team will keep him out of action on Thursday after initially listing him as questionable for the game. Utah's frontcourt has also lost Taylor Hendricks (lower leg) this week, leaving Kyle Filipowski and John Collins in a position to benefit. Filipowski flirted with a double-double on Tuesday versus the Kings when he finally received a good chunk of minutes. Collins has been limited to a bench role this season but has been productive with 14.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in 21.0 minutes.

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, Utah Jazz power forward Lauri Markkanen is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the San Antonio Spurs. On Tuesday versus Sacramento, Markkanen left the game with back spasms. Despite the setback, he's averaged 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in the season's first four games. Fantasy managers, if the 27-year-old cannot suit up, forwards John Collins and Kyle Filipowski will likely see more minutes on the court than usual.

Philadelphia 76ers forwardKenyon Martin Jr.will start Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Martin is starting because Paul George (knee) is sidelined. The 23-year-old played a career-low 12.4 minutes per contest in last year's campaign, suiting up for the Clippers and 76ers across 60 regular-season games. With the start in the Sixers opener, Martin will likely play a minimal role in the offensive attack this evening.

Utah Jazz shooting guard Johnny Juzang (thumb) has been ruled out for the Jazz's season opener on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Juzang has a right thumb sprain and the team has not given a potential return date yet. The 23-year-old performed well from deep during the preseason, shooting over 50% from three. However, he was still likely to find himself outside of the Jazz's rotation. His absence will likely go unnoticed for Utah fans. Fantasy managers looking for depth at the guard position may want to consider Svi Mykhailiuk who came over from Boston this offseason. Mykhailiuk's output wasn't inspiring off Boston's bench but he did shoot 38.9% from three. During the preseason the 27-year-old averaged 12.5 PPG on 9.5 FGA while averaging two threes made per game. He is much more likely to have a significant fantasy impact than Juzang once Juzang is back and healthy.

Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler is back in trade discussions as the young big man heads into the third season of his career. According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, the Jazz are seeking at least two first-round picks in exchange for Kessler. With two first-rounders as a starting price, the trade discussions haven't seemed to get too far. The New York Knicks were one of the teams that had some serious interest until they made an "all-in" move when they traded for Karl-Anthony Towns. Outside of the Knicks, the phone lines have been pretty dry. On unofficial depth charts, Kessler is listed as the first center off of the bench, but the Jazz drafted Kyle Filipowski and added Drew Eubanks in the off-season.