The Utah Jazz fans were in jubilation during the offseason. A major reason would be their All-Star Lauri Markkanen, shrugging off Warriors trade rumors and extending his stay with the franchise. However, their success in such negotiations hasn’t translated into success on the court at all, for now. The loss to the Sacramento Kings was their fourth in a row. The Jazz is yet to witness the highs of a win, and now things could get more chaotic.

Markkanen, unarguably the heart of the Utah Jazz, experienced some discomfort when playing against the Kings. At the end of the first quarter, he rushed to the locker room but eventually returned. However, with his back hurting, the Finland forward couldn’t exert himself through the pain. After playing just 17 minutes on the night, the Jazz came out with a saddening update.

Lauri Markkanen suffered from back spasms and didn’t take part in the rest of the game. Likewise, without his scorching offense, the Jazz’s hopes of fighting back against the revived Kings crumbled. It’s still unclear whether the hooper could be sidelined for some time. Yet, the fans couldn’t hold back on their feelings.

Lauri Markkanen’s injury drew mixed reactions from the community, an upset fan deems him a “fraud”!

Fans went through a wide range of emotions with Markkanen’s injury. There was obviously the Jazz portion that wanted their cornerstone to stay in the game. With the vessel of hope lost, their disappointment was palpable. “Bring him back now!!,” one such passionate supporter of the club wrote. Sadly, Markkanen couldn’t return to the contest to help the Jazz stage any sort of fightback.

Without him, the offense lost their number one option, deepening the holes in the roster. The Jazz could only manage 96 points as they lost by 17 points in front of their loyal fans at the Delta Center. Still, the fans did expect to see a fight that the Lauri Markkanen-less Utah Jazz team couldn’t deliver on. They couldn’t find a counter to the Kings’ defense.

“Unbelievable team performance. Very poor. Unfortunately,” a fan revealed their frustrations on X after the fourth straight loss for the Jazz. Even without Markkanen, the Jazz have some talented players such as Jordan Clarkson and Colin Sexton that can get in their groove. But the Kings played well. Then there was Domantas Sabonis, who ensured a fluid Sacramento offense that scored 113 points.

But going completely astray from the game, there was also anger in the betting community. Apparently, the lines for Lauri Markkanen remained open even after he exited the game. “So DraftKings was taking live bets on that scrub after he left the game they should refund everybody,” a fan shared.

It’s unclear what exactly happened, however, Markkanen could only play 17 minutes, scoring 7 points in his time on the floor. His efficiency didn’t suffer too much in the 5 shots he took. But the quality seemed compromised as his back kept giving him trouble.

The injury without question was genuine. However, some NBA fans felt Lauri Markkanen being unable to return stained his reputation as a star in the league. One such naysayer spoke his feelings saying, “lol what a fraud “star”,”.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth. The Finland product has not only been consistent with his production, but he has devoted himself to staying in Utah. “I’m ready to get back to work and build with this franchise,” he said of his extension. After a blistering 35-point opening performance, the 27-year-old’s output has stunted but is still averaging 21.7 points and 8.7 rebounds so far.

Do you think Lauri Markkanen will miss some time because of this injury? Let us know your views in the comments below.