Lauri Markkanen, the least expected star of the NBA season opener: how did he become a figure for the Utah Jazz?

In just five seasons and a handful of games from 2022-2023his NBA career Lauri Markkanen It has gone through all kinds of stages. From the promise of stardom in his early days in Chicago to the disappointments and loss of exposure with the Bulls, to his later reinvention as a forward and role in Cleveland, to this completely unexpected present in Utah.

The Finn has had such a stunning start to the campaign as the Jazz, who then defeated Memphis 121-105left with a mark of it six wins and two losses.

Markkanen was at the heart of that victory with 31 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists, 11-16 shooting from the field, 4-6 3-pointers and 5-6 free throws… In less than 32 minutes on the field.

In 8 matches this season, Markkanen has an average 22.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, one block and 50% shooting. And all this without having a particularly accurate season with the triple (31%), until now his trademark in the NBA. When he’s on the court, Utah is +42 on the season. At rest, the spread drops to -11.

But how exactly does Markkanen transform into this revelation, and what has changed to make such a leap? After all, we are talking about a player who in the last three seasons has never averaged more than 14.8 points or 6.3 rebounds.

The most obvious change is that of group visibility. Finn is today the Utah’s first offensive pickleading the team with 17 shots per game, while in the last three years it had never exceeded 11.8. In turn, his 34 minutes per game is also a career high.

But not everything is done because of this greater relevance in his team’s attack, but also because of a transformation in various aspects of role and function. Almost all of them are associated with a more internal performance than usual, from being a 3-4 open and shooter on a more flexible track and difficult to pigeonhole.

According to Basketball-Reference lineup statistics, almost half of Markkanen’s minutes this season have been played as a 4 or 5. By contrast, just 28% of his minutes last season came in those positions. Also, 50% of his shots are in the end zone (within 3 meters from the basket), well above the previous season’s 37%.

Triples fall. In his final three years, more than half of his attempts came from the perimeter. Today they represent only 39%. In 2021-22, 35% of his possessions were foot shots. Today they represent just 20% of its shares.

This variation of Markkanen’s game comes to light through him confidence the Jazz have in their ability to create on the ball. On his way through Cleveland, the actions of rinse and gather and roll represented just 2.5% of their holdings. Any. In Utah, that rate rose to 17.2 percent.

Basically he went from a triplero completely typographically in role in a first offensive pick, with freedom of creation on your own. And that at the same time, which is much more used as an interior in quintets, finds correspondences favorableagainst slower opponents whom he can overcome with speed and talent.

Utah has unlocked the potential of a gem that after some lost years is beginning to confirm what was once expected of him when he arrived in the NBA.