An old video of Chicago Bulls big man Lauri Markkanen absolutely dominating a high school basketball performance has surfaced, showing many just how talented he was at the age of 16. In the video, fans can see Markkanen was extremely dominant during his time in high school in Finland:
Enjoy this video of 16-year-old Lauri Markkanen DOMINATING Finland high school basketball. Lauri at this time was 6 foot 10, and while playing small-forward he averaged 24.2 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 61%! pic.twitter.com/zm6VSa8LG7
— Josh (@JoshJBullsHoops) September 19, 2019
Markkanen was 6-foot-10 at the time of the video — he’s now a legit 7-footer — and averaged 24.2 points and 8.7 rebounds, all while shooting 61% from the field. Needless to say, Markkanen was likely not only the best player on his team, but the best player many of his opponents had seen.
After his time in high school, Markkanen went to the United States for college, where he played for the Arizona Wildcats during the 2016-17 season. Afterwards, he entered the 2017 NBA Draft, where he was selected with the seventh pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves, though his rights were traded to the Chicago Bulls in a trade that sent Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn to Chicago in exchange for Jimmy Butler and the rights for Justin Patton.
During his time with the Bulls, Markkanen has flashed the ability to become a legitimate star in the league, averaging 18.7 points and 9.0 rebounds last year while shooting 36 percent from 3. As the Bulls look to continue rebuilding with younger talent, Markkanen is going to be a focal part of the Bulls going forward.
At only 22 years old, Lauri Markkanen has likely yet to reach his true ceiling. If he can continue to stay healthy and improve, the sky is the limit for the talented young player.
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