Lauri Markkanen He has become an early contender for the Most Improved Player award and could earn his first All-Star mention in the sixth year of his career. Utah Jazz has an amazing 11-6 record, and is averaging 22.2 points per game. Further, on the evening of Friday 18 November he founded the career high: 38 points to beat the Phoenix Suns.
How did all this come about for a guy who was the Bulls sale wide open two summers ago, and on a team that was supposed to be rebuilding?
Markkanen is a very different player than the failed prospect the Bulls acquired in the Jimmy Butler trade or the forward from the Cavaliers last year. He’s a great example of how vital the field is to players, and he found the perfect one in Utah.
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Markkanen’s problems on the Bulls
Markkanen is playing just a few more minutes than his previous teams, but his averages are outright higher.
| Equipment | Races | Minutes | CT | EFG% | Points | rebound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bulls | 221 | 29.5 | 12.5 | 52.9% | 15.6 | 7.1 |
| caves | 61 | 30.8 | 11.5 | 54.2% | 14.8 | 5.7 |
| Jazz | 16 | 32.8 | 15.2 | 59.1% | 21.3 | 8.4 |
This jump in scoring, rebounding and efficiency is the result of an apparent role change. When Markkanen arrived in Chicago, the Bulls built their offensive system around him to play to his strengths. played more of a role point forward in his second year, and looked poised for a breakout then. In February 2019, he averaged 26.0 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 10 games and had Bulls fans excited about his future.
But something changed in 2019-2020. Coach Jim Boylen turned him into a static shooter by taking away touches and opportunities.
“I had 80 touches per game the last two seasons, this season it’s down to 40”Markkanen said in an interview in Finland, as translated by On Tap Sports Net’s Josh Jeffares. “Don’t get me wrong, I had painted some works with me in mind, but this is different.”.
“When I talked to Jim, we were talking about focusing on rebounding and then driving the offense. But it’s really hard to get 40 defensive rebounds.”.
Markkanen seemed to have his confidence shaken after that third year. He went from being considered a future franchise cornerstone to a glorified role player.
“Trust is everything”Markkanen told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “My junior year in Chicago, it was tough on me mentally … I was always trying to get away from it.”
Boilen was fired after Markkanen’s junior year, but new coach Billy Donovan used Markkanen in a similar fashion. He took about half of his shots from long range, with the rest coming from attacking the clips.
Markkanen’s new role with the Utah Jazz
Markkanen began to diversify his offense again when he was traded to the Cavs. With the Utah Jazz he has made even more drastic changes. Instead of being limited to shooting, he is now given opportunities to handle the ball.
Utah’s version of Markkanen is a true three-level shooter, shooting about a third of his shots near the basket, another third from mid-range and the final third from beyond the arc, according to Cleaning the Glass. He catches fire on those mid-range shots, hitting 51 percent of his attempts. It’s the fifth-highest percentage among small forwards this season.
Markkanen wasn’t allowed to make that kind of mid-range shot with Boylen in Chicago.
This limitation that Boylen imposed on Markkanen’s game made him extremely easy to defend. Opposing teams would put guards on him, knowing that if they closed in on him hard, he wouldn’t be allowed to lead them to the post for a jumper. This took away everything that made a player of his height with guarding skills such a special player.
The Jazz gave Markkanen the keys to his game back. You have more space and freedom as part of an open system 5.
They are a perfect fit for Markkanen because of how often they put teams in trouble, break down the defense and run the ball around the perimeter for open shots. He was the beneficiary of many easy shots thanks to the team’s ball movement.
The Utah Jazz also thrive in transition, where they rank in the top five in points added, according to Cleaning the Glass, and on the offensive glass, where they rank No. 4 in the league. Focusing on these areas allows the Jazz to take advantage of Markkanen’s obvious strengths.
He is able to grab and go for rebounds or outrun slower big men on the floor. He’s never been much of an aggressive rebounder, but he’s able to look for the board more because of the Jazz’s slice pairing system, which makes players cut more in conjunction with drives at the rim.
Markkanen’s game didn’t work in his previous destinations. But in a 5-man system, a guy like him who has the size to take advantage of mismatches, the shooting to get out of the court, the feel to make good cuts and the ability to score from anywhere is a trick to success.
The Bulls have to be disappointed they didn’t get that version of Markkanen. At least the Cavs got Donovan Mitchell for him, while the Bulls got a bench in Derrick Jones Jr. and a mid-tier first-round pick.
But Markkanen was never going to experience that level of success in Chicago. Sometimes players need a fresh start to rebuild their confidence and often need a better fit.
The Jazz don’t have any traditional superstars on their roster, but they have turned Markkanen into a star of the system.
