Lauri Markkanen is reminding a lot of fans how great he is with his EuroBasket performances, but he’s also pushing back on a popular narrative.
Lauri Markkanen has struggled to put on the type of performances he did during the 2022-23 NBA season, where he earned his first All-Star nomination.
With the Utah Jazz trying to tank the last few years, they have effectively neutralized Markkanen so that he doesn’t get in the way of their rebuilding process.
But during this EuroBasket tournament, we have been reminded of the massive potential Markkanen has. Many fans even questioned if Markkanen is wasting away on the Utah Jazz with the way he is playing.
And after his latest victory with Finland, several critics of Markkanen prior to their game against Serbia have been proven wrong.
Photo by Filip Viranovski/FIBA via Getty ImagesLauri Markkanen shows EuroBasket performances no fluke with Serbia win
Markkanen got off to a hot start at EuroBasket from Day 1, dropping 28 points in Finland’s opening fixture against Sweden.
However, many of his critics claimed that he was putting up such strong numbers because the level of competition wasn’t as high as it would be in the NBA, and he would struggle to do so against quality competition.
But as Markkanen helped eliminate Nikola Jokic and Serbia, whom many considered the favorites to win the tournament, it has become clear that Markkanen’s run was no fluke.
Playing against Nikola Jokic and several current and former NBA stars, Markkanen delivered a strong performance, putting up 29 points and rebounds to get the win.
Markkanen is currently averaging 26 points per game at EuroBasket, making him the third-leading scorer in the tournament behind Giannis Antetokounmpo (30 PPG) and Luka Doncic (34 PPG).
Any criticism of Markkanen not delivering against the big teams in EuroBasket should be reserved for if and when he fails to do so.
Lauri Markkanen could be traded by the Utah Jazz soon
Despite his strong performances this summer, don’t expect Lauri Markkanen to transform the Utah Jazz into a competitive NBA team.
The Jazz are still going to be in their rebuilding phase. After the Jazz surprisingly landed Ace Bailey in the NBA Draft, they have no plans to stop seeking out young stars.
Brian Windhorst expects the Jazz to trade Lauri Markkanen, as they look to continue tanking to maximize their draft potential.
If anything, Markkanen’s strong performances will help the Jazz leverage an even higher asking price for the Finnish superstar.