Jaren Jackson Jr. has developed a reputation in the NBA as one of the league’s brightest young stars in the league as a two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year.
Unfortunately, he’s developing another reputation that’s becoming difficult to shake. He’s now considered one of the most injury-prone players in the league and his bad luck has leaked into the fresh, new 2026-27 season as he’s already been ruled out for the next 6-8 weeks with an MCL injury.
According to reports, Jackson Jr. has been diagnosed with a torn right MCL and while it doesn’t require surgery, it will force him to miss the next 6-8 weeks or up to two months of action.
After missing the second half of last season after being traded to the Jazz, hopes were high that he was going to come into the 2026-27 season completely healthy. That wasn’t in the cards apparently as he’s played just four games and will now be forced to miss the next 1-2 months of the year. He was off to a strong start, too, averaging 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.
Since his NBA career began in 2018-19, Jackson has played over 70 games just twice and over 60 games just four times in eight-plus seasons.
The former Michigan State big man is just a little too injury prone.
That’s not the reputation any star player wants to have — especially in their prime.
Jaren Jackson’s injury woes may hold him back from greatness
Ever since he entered the league, Jackson has been talked about as one of the NBA’s best bigs. He has an unlimited ceiling and anyone who watched him at Michigan State knows that. He wasn’t considered a “unicorn” for no reason.
Big things have always been in his future as an elite rim-protecting, floor-spacing big man but it seems as if one thing might hold him back from greatness.
Injuries.
Jackson played just 115 games over his first two seasons before suffering a knee injury in 2020-21 that allowed him to play just 11 games. He then played 78 games the following year and then had four straight seasons of at least 60 games played, but he hit that injury speed bump once again in 2025-26 with the Jazz.
And now he’s back on the mend with another knee injury.
Jackson has played seven total games for the Jazz and has suffered two long-term injuries. His time in Utah has been a nightmare.
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