Lauri Markkanen

Lauri Elias Markkanen (/ˈlaʊri ˈmɑːrkənɛn/ LOW-ree MAR-kə-nen; born 22 May 1997) is a Finnish professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Finnisher",[1][2] he is the son of Finnish basketball players Pekka and Riikka Markkanen, and the younger brother of footballer Eero Markkanen.

Lauri Markkanen
Markkanen with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021
No. 23 – Utah Jazz
PositionSmall forward / power forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-05-22) 22 May 1997
Vantaa, Finland
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
CollegeArizona (2016–2017)
NBA draft2017: 1st round, 7th overall pick
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014–2016HBA-Märsky
2017–2021Chicago Bulls
2021–2022Cleveland Cavaliers
2022–presentUtah Jazz
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Starting his career with HBA-Märsky in the Finnish second-tier league, Markkanen moved to the United States and played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, where he earned First-team All-Pac-12 honors in his lone year with the team. He was selected seventh overall in the 2017 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves before being included in a draft-night trade to the Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler. Following a stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Markkanen experienced a career resurgence in his first year with the Jazz, earning his first All-Star selection and winning the Most Improved Player Award in 2023.

Early life and career

Markkanen grew up in Jyväskylä, and played his junior years in the local team, HoNsU.[3] Markkanen played for HBA-Märsky in the Finnish second-tier league from 2014 to 2016.

College career

On 17 October 2015, Markkanen verbally committed to NCAA Division I squad Arizona Wildcats prior to the 2016–17 season.[4][5][6] Lauri signed a letter of intent to Arizona on 11 November. ESPN.com reported that the seven-foot Finn was considered "a possible one-and-done candidate for the NBA draft."[7] He became the first Wildcats player since Mike Bibby to wear the jersey number 10. In January 2017, SB Nation regarded him as "the best shooting 7-footer college basketball has ever seen".[8] Within the same month Markkanen was selected as Pac-12 Player of the Week as well as the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.[9][10] He has also been named to the pre-season Karl Malone Award Watchlist,[11] Naismith Award Watchlist,[12] Wooden Award Watchlist,[13] Wooden Award Midseason Top 25,[14] Wayman Tisdale Award Midseason watch list, Oscar Robertson Award Midseason watch list,[15] Karl Malone Award Finalist,[16] Naismith Top 30 Finalist.[17] Markkanen was among the 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award.[18]

He recorded a career-high 30 points on 12 Jan against rival Arizona State. Also recording a career-high 13 rebounds three times against Northern Colorado, Washington State, and Washington. His career-high three blocks came against Arizona State in the regular season finale 4 March 2017.

Markkanen was selected to the third team All-American team by the Associated Press, NBC Sports, USA Today, and the Sporting News on 6 March 2017.[19] He was a first team All-Pac-12 selection, as well as first team All-Pac-12 Freshman team and first team All-Pac-12 team in Associated Press.

At the conclusion of his freshman season, Markkanen announced his intention to forgo his final three years of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2017 NBA draft.[20]

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2017–2021)

Markkanen was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the seventh pick of the first round of the 2017 NBA draft. On draft night, his rights were traded to the Chicago Bulls along with Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn for Jimmy Butler and the rights to Justin Patton.[21] On 5 July 2017, Markkanen signed with the Bulls.[22]

On 19 October 2017, Markkanen made his NBA debut with the Bulls and scored 17 points.[23] Markkanen then set an NBA record on 24 October, for most 3-pointers in the first three games of an NBA career with ten 3-pointers.[24] Markkanen also asked former NBA player Brian Scalabrine to use his number 24, which Brian allowed.[25] On 30 December, Markkanen scored a career-high 32 points and seven rebounds in a 119–107 win against the Indiana Pacers.[26] On 10 January 2018, Markkanen played a career-high 46 minutes, scored a career-high 33 points along with a career-high eight 3-pointers in a double overtime 122–119 win against the New York Knicks. This made him the second seven-foot player to make eight three-pointers in a game (the first being Dirk Nowitzki).[27] On 22 January, he grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds against the New Orleans Pelicans.[28] Four days later, Markkanen blocked a career-high three shots against the Los Angeles Lakers.[29]

After scoring seventeen points against the Milwaukee Bucks on 28 January 2018, Markkanen surpassed Hanno Möttölä (715) as the career leading scorer among NBA players from Finland.[30] On 22 May 2018, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.[31] He ended his rookie season leading the Bulls in rebounds with 7.5 and fourth in scoring with 15.2;[32] his 14 double-doubles was third among rookies behind Kyle Kuzma and Ben Simmons.[33]

Markkanen missed the first 23 games of the season. He had a career-high 19 rebounds in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets on 28 January. He also had 31 points and 18 rebounds in a win over Brooklyn on 8 February; a career-high 35 points along with 15 rebounds in a win over the Boston Celtics on 23 February; and 31 points and 17 rebounds in win over the Atlanta Hawks on 1 March. On 28 March, Markkanen was ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing tests for his health problems,[34] which he experienced in a 26 March game against the Toronto Raptors.[35] In the 52 games he did play, he was second on the team with 18.7 points and first with 9.0 rebounds and 20 double-doubles (fourth in the NBA).

Markkanen began the season tying a career-high with 35 points along with 17 rebounds in a one-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets, the most opening-day points by a Chicago Bull since Michael Jordan in 1995.[36]

On 30 January 2021, Markkanen scored a season-high 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field and 6-of-11 from three in a 122–123 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[37][38][39] After the Bulls added veteran big men Daniel Theis and Nikola Vučević to their roster to fortify their frontcourt, Markkanen lost his starting spot.[40][41] On 29 March, Markkanen came off the bench for the first time during the season[42] and the second in his 194 career games,[43] he finished with 13 points, six rebounds and an assist across 22 minutes in a 102–116 loss to the Golden State Warriors.[42][43] Since Markkanen moved to the second unit, he had been given a limited time and had been playing the small forward position.[41][44][45] In a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on 12 April, Markkanen went scoreless for the first time in his career.[46][47]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2021–2022)
Markkanen attempts a 3-pointer over Patty Mills in a January 2022 game

On 28 August 2021, Markkanen was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team sign-and-trade also involving the Portland Trail Blazers.[48] Markkanen made his Cavaliers debut on October 20, recording ten points and nine rebounds in a 121–132 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.[49] On March 18, 2022, he scored a season-high 31 points, alongside ten rebounds and four steals, in a 119–116 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets.[50]

During his lone season in Cleveland, Markkanen averaged 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 45% from the field and 36% on 3 point shots.[51] Markkanen was the starting small forward for the Cavs for the majority of the season, and he along with rookie starting power forward Evan Mobley and starting center Jarrett Allen formed "Tower City" (a reference to the Cleveland RTA hub of the same name) going against the widely accepted NBA small ball strategy and instead using 3 big men in the starting lineup. [52] The strategy paid off, as the Cavs ended the year 7th in defensive rating and Markkanen put up career highs in defensive metrics. [53]

Utah Jazz (2022–present)

On 1 September 2022, Markkanen was traded, alongside Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three first round picks, and two pick swaps, to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Donovan Mitchell.[54][55] On 18 November, Markkanen scored a then career-high 38 points on 15-of-18 shooting from the field, in a 134–133 win over the Phoenix Suns.[56] On 22 December, Markkanen set a career-high with nine three-pointers on 13 attempts while also tying his then career-high 38 points in a 126–111 win over the Detroit Pistons.[57]

On 5 January, 2023, Markkanen put up a career high with 49 points, alongside eight rebounds, in a 131–114 win against the Houston Rockets.[58] On 2 February, Markkanen was named to his first ever NBA All Star game as a reserve for the Western Conference.[59] Markkanen also become the first NBA All-Star born in a Nordic country. On 10 February, it was announced that Markkanen had been named a starter in the All-Star game as a result of injuries to Stephen Curry and Zion Williamson.[60] On February 23, Markkanen scored 18 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 120–119 overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[61]

On April 24, 2023, Markkanen was named the 2022–23 NBA Most Improved Player, winning over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Brunson.[62]

National team career
Markkanen in 2017 Eurobasket

Junior national team

Markkanen made his international debut with the Finnish U-18 national team at the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.[63] Markkanen averaged 18.2 points per game to lead the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in the summer of 2015.[7] He was the top scorer in 2016 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship tournament with an average of 24.9 points per game and was named to the All-Tournament Team.[64]

Senior national team

Markkanen played with the Finland senior team at EuroBasket 2017, which was partly held in his home country. He led his team to the round of 16 by averaging 19.5 points and 5.7 rebounds over 6 games.[65]

He played his second EuroBasket tournament in 2022. In the Round of 16, Markkanen scored 43 points to lead Finland to a 94–86 win over Croatia, setting a new all-time record for a Finnish player at the EuroBasket.[66] The win also lead to Finland's first quarterfinal appearance in 55 years, the last being in 1967.[66] Finland lost in the following quarterfinals to Spain. Markkanen averaged 27.9 points on 54.2 percent shooting, and eight rebounds over seven games.[67] Markkanen was named Finnish national team roster to play 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Chicago 686829.7.434.362.8437.51.2.6.615.2
2018–19 Chicago 525132.3.430.361.8729.01.4.7.618.7
2019–20 Chicago 505029.8.425.344.8246.31.5.8.514.7
2020–21 Chicago 512625.8.480.402.8265.3.9.5.313.6
2021–22 Cleveland 616130.8.445.358.8685.71.3.7.514.8
2022–23 Utah 666634.4.499.391.8758.61.9.6.625.6
Career 34832230.6.455.371.8587.11.4.7.517.3
All-Star 1126.0.462.167–7.0.0.0.013.0

Play-in
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Cleveland 2232.6.484.4381.0006.0.02.5.519.5
Career 2232.6.484.4381.0006.0.02.5.519.5

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Arizona 373730.8.492.423.8357.2.9.4.515.6

NBA records
  • Fastest player to reach 100 career three-pointers (41 games)[68]
  • Most consecutive games with a made three by a seven-footer (48 games)[69]
  • The only player in NBA history with 100 dunks and 200 threes in a single season[70]

Personal life

He is the son of Pekka[7][71] and Riikka Markkanen (née Ellonen), who both were professional basketball players,[71][72] and has two brothers, former professional basketball player Miikka[71] and professional footballer Eero.[71] In February 2018, Markkanen and his wife Verna Aho had a son together.[73] In October 2020, their second child was born.[74]

Markkanen began his compulsory military service on April 17, 2023 at the military base of Santahamina, Finland. He finished his service on September 29, 2023.[75]

References
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