HOUSTON — Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic will undergo surgery later this week to repair a deviated septum and will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 NBA season, head coach Will Hardy announced Monday.
Hardy disclosed the decision prior to the Jazz’s road matchup with the Houston Rockets. He said the 31-year-old big man has been dealing with the nasal issue for an extended period and has taken several blows to the face this season, accelerating the need for surgery.
“He has had a really bad deviated septum in his nose,” Hardy said. “He has gotten hit in the face four or five times this year. His recent sickness has pushed that forward. It’s something that he’s needed to get done for a while now, so he’s going to get it taken care of.”
Nurkic, in his first season with Utah, appeared in 41 games and averaged 10.9 points and 10.4 rebounds. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
“Nurk has been a big part of what we’ve done this year, and he helps our team in a bunch of ways,” Hardy added.
Source: ESPN.com
