Lauri Markkanen has felt the stress of Utah’s limited overall talent. He’s essentially an elite second or third option being asked to lead the charge offensively. The Finnish 7-footer has never been a super advanced creator, but he’s a knockdown shooter with admirable positional size. If he were in a slightly better situation, Markkanen’s skill set would probably get him more shine nationally.
- Chris Kline
FanSided Staff Writer
There is incredible value in a wing with Markkanen’s size, mobility, and shot-making talent. He’s one of the best pure play-finishers in the NBA, possessing a strong nose for the basketball and tremendous spatial awareness. He’s always cutting into open space and making himself available. Even without much passing or ball-handling, Markkanen makes life easier on those around him and elevates the entire offense with his gravitational pull.
Defense has never been his calling card, but Markkanen has the lateral agility to guard in space and handle a few different positional assignments on that end. He’s a malleable cog in any scheme and his game is built to complement just about anyone. That is a huge mark in his favor, even if he’s not a traditional star in terms of skill set.