Lauri Markkanen has had his strongest season in the NBA so far. The coach of the Utah Jazz emphasizes that the decisive factor for the player’s success has been a free role in the team, but also an appropriate position in his career.
The regular season in the NBA basketball series is over and with it also the season for the Utah Jazz.
For Lauri Markkanen, his first season in the team meant the definitive breakthrough to the elite of the series. In total, it was the sixth season in basketball’s fine room for the 25-year-old.
Markkanen increased his scoring average (25.6) by over ten points from the previous seasons and was a key player for his team. He was also part of the starting five in the NBA’s All Stars game.
– As I see it, there are probably also things I can improve on. I still have to be satisfied with how I have developed since last year. Also as a player I have learned a lot, says Lauri Markkanen General Sports and adds:
– As a team, our success was still not what I had hoped for. We all showed that our group has the potential for something big in the future. This has been the most fun season of my career.
The coach was surprised by the talent
The beginning of the season was admittedly difficult for Markkanen. After a successful European Championship where he lifted Finland to a historic quarter-final, there was a change of club in the NBA from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the rock-bottom Utah.
Markkanen’s talent has been widely known for many years already, but Utah coach Will Hardy does not hide that he did not know how good a player he got for his team.
– None of us had thought that Lauri would play at this level. We hoped that he would develop during the year and have a good season. It would be a lie to say I knew what was coming, Will Hardy describes.
With Markkanen on the team, Utah finished in twelfth place in the Western Conference. The team’s balance was a paltry three victories less than what the conference’s last playoff team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, was noted for.
Lauri Markkanen and Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy.
Bild: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Utah Jazz,NBA
Right location and right role in Utah
In Utah, Markkanen has had to play in a new role after he had to act as a distance shooter in his previous seasons with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland.
– We have not wanted to bind Lauri to any particular role. He has had to show us what he stands for, emphasizes Hardy.
– We have also been lucky in terms of timing. This has been the right time for Lauri in life and career. We have tried to help him as best we can and at the same time stay out of his way.
After a few more courageous years, Jyväskyläsonen Markkanen has definitely stepped forward in the world’s toughest basketball series.
– I have heard suspicions during my career. I could clichédly say that I myself am the harshest critic of my game. I wanted to show that I can play at this level. That is the biggest motivating factor for myself, says Lauri Markkanen.
