“ He's not as long as Kristaps Porzingis, but his game is already refined. » Thus expressed Dirk Nowitzki, in 2018about Lauri Markkanen, then a rookie with the Bulls, predicting a long career for him. Five years later, it's the turn of his former coach at the Mavs, Rick Carlisle to say all the good things he thinks of the Finn now at Jazz.
And to play the game of comparison between the two men. According to the Pacers coach, whose team was severely beaten last night in Utah, Lauri Markkanen, author of 32 points and 10 rebounds last night, is the one who “ comes closest » from German.
“ He's a 2m13 player who can really stretch the game and play inside. He is an underrated athlete. His length is really unique and the efficiency with which he catches the ball and throws it…Teams try to put bigger or smaller guys on him, he shoots over the smaller guys, he outruns the bigger guys. He's tough, much more than you might think when looking at him. », develops the coach, speaking of a “ serious problem » for the defenses.
If his evening opponent does not master the one-footed “fadeaway”, the German's fatal weapon, the two men do indeed have more than one point in common, due to their stature and their long-distance skill. The Jazz player has had a 37% 3-point success rate since his debut, while the pioneer in the field has shot 38% throughout his career.
Finally drafted by the Wolves
The craziest thing is that the two Europeans… could have been teammates. The former Texan technician reports that the Mavs, on the evening of the 2017 Draft, had sought to recover him with their 9th choice.
“ We hoped that he would fall with us in 9th place. But after having a tryout with him, it became clear to me that it probably wasn't going to happen because athletically he turned out to be much better than expected. It was much more powerful, better in different settings “, reports the coach, whose team picked up Dennis Smith Jr. that evening, where their target was selected by the Wolves, in 7th position, before being involved with Zach LaVine in the exchange for Jimmy Butler .
Rick Carlisle finally has a word for Will Hardy and his role in the explosion of Lauri Markkanen, who became an All-Star and MIP last season with his arrival in Utah. “ Will is a very creative offensive coach, and they are doing completely different things than the entire league is doing thanks to Markkanen's skills. It was the same thing in Dallas, we did things with Dirk because there was no one else like him. »
| Lauri Markkanen | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 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 | 66 | 34 | 49.9 | 39.1 | 87.5 | 2.0 | 6.7 | 8.6 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 25.6 |
| 2023-24 | UTH | 31 | 33 | 49.2 | 39.5 | 86.7 | 2.5 | 6.3 | 8.8 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 23.7 |
| Total | 379 | 31 | 45.9 | 37.3 | 85.9 | 1.4 | 5.9 | 7.3 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 17.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
