With the EuroBasket tournament in full swing, some players have been playing at a very high level, and turning a lot of heads with their strong performances. One of them is incoming Chicago Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen, who has had three stellar games for Finland, making it possible for his home country to win two of them and be in a good position to advance to the next round.
Despite not playing a game in the NBA yet, he has already been drawing a lot of comparisons to some great European players, like Dirk Nowitzki, who not only stands 7-feet as well, but has transformed the way big men in the league should play because of his efficient shooting from the field. The Dallas Mavericks star's trainer, Henrik Dettman, recently weighed in on Markkanen's game and gave his thoughts on how much success he'll have playing in the NBA, via Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net.
“I don’t need to say how special is. You all see it when he plays. There’s something I’ve been saying for some time: It’s unfair to compare human beings with each other. And we are talking about players from different areas. But there are many similar things in the game that Dirk and Lauri play,” Dettman said during the post-game press conference.
“The only thing we don’t know is if Lauri has the same work ethic that Dirk has with the game. If Lauri has the same work ethic, and is healthy, he’ll definitely reach the same level that Dirk has. He has skills, speed, understanding for the game. It’s also natural.The new generation has to be better than the one of the past.”
The seventh overall pick in last June's draft became one of the top prospects after his solid stint with Arizona in the NCAA. He showcased his impressive skill set and all around game, averaging 15.6 points, including 42.3 percent from beyond the arc, to go along with 7.2 rebounds per game.
If he can continue his strong play of late once the season starts, it will be a huge boost for the Bulls, who are looking to build around young players to help them speed up their rebuilding process. And if Markkanen will work hard to further improve his game, he will make Dettman sound like a genius by calling it first that he could become the next great European player in the NBA.
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