He was transformed by his passage from Chicago to Cleveland, but Lauri Markkanen is even more so since his arrival in Utah! Landed at the Jazz at the end of the summer in the exchange involving Donovan Mitchell, the Finn has established himself as the offensive leader of this surprising team, undefeated for three matches.
Even if he measures 2m13, Markkanen does not have the physique and the game of a pivot. He is a strong winger, always on the move, and likes to hit from afar. A modern interior that flourishes in this basketball where everyone pulls in the same direction.
“I’m proving to myself that I can do a lot of things on the pitch, on both sides of the pitch, and that kind of gave me confidence. I feel like I’m ready for this season.” explains the 7th pick of the 2017 Draft.
“A luxury to have a player who has this level of versatility”
For his young coach, it’s a chance to have such a talented youngster, and an element accustomed to behaving as a leader in the selection.
“It’s about building on that summer, and it was a great illustration of Lauri’s game as a whole and he has more to offer than he may have shown in the past.” believes Will Hardy. “We need his versatility and we are going to ask him every night to do a variety of different things on both sides of the floor. He has done everything so far, like defending on wingers or Nikola Jokic. He took care of the pick-and-roll, he set up screens and he ruled the game out. As a manager, it’s a luxury to have a player who has that level of versatility. »
After three games, the former Cavalier is averaging 24 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Those are career-best averages, and Markkanen remains cautious. ” Everything comes together well here. I try to stay active and aggressive on both sides of the pitch. It’s a good start but we have to keep learning and improving. »
| Lauri Markkanen | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2017-18 | CHI | 68 | 30 | 43.4 | 36.2 | 84.3 | 1.2 | 6.3 | 7.5 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 15.2 |
| 2018-19 | CHI | 52 | 32 | 43.0 | 36.1 | 87.2 | 1.4 | 7.6 | 9.0 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 18.7 |
| 2019-20 | CHI | 50 | 30 | 42.5 | 34.4 | 82.4 | 1.2 | 5.1 | 6.3 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 14.7 |
| 2020-21 | CHI | 51 | 26 | 48.0 | 40.2 | 82.6 | 0.7 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 13.6 |
| 2021-22 | KEY | 61 | 31 | 44.5 | 35.8 | 86.8 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 14.8 |
| 2022-23 | UTH | 2 | 36 | 45.7 | 29.4 | 100.0 | 2.5 | 6.0 | 8.5 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 20.5 |
| Total | 284 | 30 | 44.1 | 36.4 | 85.0 | 1.1 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 15.4 | |
