Lauri Markkanen almost perfect

How could it have been otherwise? To conclude his near perfect game, Lauri Markkanen inherited the ball at 132-131 to score the winning basket. The Finn then managed to thwart a two-man grab to get in front of Devin Booker and punish him with a “Nowitzkiesque” shot from mid-range.

Author of 38 points at 15/18 shooting, Lauri Markkanen was again brilliant, signing his career record in points with the victory in bonus, 134-133. To celebrate his great night, he left with the ball of the game.

If the Jazz is so successful at the beginning of the season, it is for a lot, in line with his very good Euro.

“He was impressive as an athlete, never having been around him before, and as a basketball player. I don’t know what the limit is for Lauri. I don’t think any of us know, but I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen it yet,” his coach Will Hardy said after the game.

A headache for his opponents

At 2m13 tall, Lauri Markkanen manages to pull his weight with his mix of mobility and strength, not to mention his basketball IQ. Moreover, he manages to be productive (and efficient) without necessarily pulling the cover to him.

“He causes a lot of problems with his ability to read the game without the ball,” said Mike Conley. “We’ve had more action with him cutting to the hoop to put up lay-ups and dunks than we’ve probably had in a long time. He’s a very smart player and with his size and build, he can finish over a lot of people and create for other guys on the opposite end as well.”

For Will Hardy, it is indeed the atypical profile of his interior that makes his strength.

“He doesn’t fit what you might think when you see him. I guess when you look at him, you don’t think he’s as mobile and as agile. Like his footwork, it’s not just straight-line speed. It’shis footwork in tight spaces and his ability to change direction,” he added.

At 25 years old, his arrival in Utah is perhaps the best thing that could have happened to his career after a sad ending in Chicago and then an interesting experience in Cleveland. In Salt Lake City, he has taken on some leadership and still has a lot to prove. “I’m clearly not satisfied. There are many things I can do better. That’s promising!

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