Jaren Jackson Jr., a two-time All-Star forward and former NBA Defensive Player of the Year, will undergo surgery to remove a localized pigmented villonodular synovitis growth in his left knee, the Jazz announced Thursday. The procedure will end Jackson’s season just three games into his tenure with Utah.
The surgery was scheduled for the upcoming NBA All-Star break after an MRI identified the PVNS growth. While Jackson is expected to make a full recovery, per the Jazz release, NBA insider Chris Haynes reports that he is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025–26 season.
Utah acquired Jackson as the centerpiece of an eight-player trade with Memphis, also bringing in John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. in the deal. The Jazz shipped out three first-round picks along with rookie Walter Clayton Jr., Taylor Hendricks, Kyle Anderson and Georges Niang to the Grizzlies.
In Jackson, Utah added one of the NBA’s best interior defenders and built an incredibly intriguing frontcourt, which also features former All-Star Lauri Markkanen and center Walker Kessler, who is already out for this season with a shoulder injury.
Jackson is averaging 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game this season, and scored 22.3 points per game in his three outings with the Jazz in just 24 minutes per game. Jackson is a fearsome defender at the rim, averaging 1.9 blocks per game in his career. He led the league in average blocks in both 2021–22 (2.3) and 2022–23 (3.0), winning Defensive Player of the Year that season. He is a two-time All-Defensive first-team selection, and made the 2023 and ‘25 All-Star Games.
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