Lauri Markkanen has emerged as a star with the Utah Jazz. With Utah set to take on the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, Markkanen got brutally honest on facing his old team, per K.C. Johnson.
“Of course, it’s always extra motivation to come here,” Markkanen said of playing against the Bulls in Chicago.
The 7-foot 25-year old always featured no shortage of potential. Lauri Markkanen displayed signs of stardom during his 4-year tenure with the Bulls. But Markkanen has officially found his footing in Utah. He's currently averaging 24.5 points per game on 53 percent field goal and 42 percent three-point shooting. Markkanen is also averaging over 8 rebounds per contest for good measure.
Lauri Markkanen's strong performance helped the Jazz start the 2022-2023 season on a high note. However, they have hovered around .500 as of late. Nevertheless, Utah has exceeded expectations for the most part. The majority of the NBA world did not know what to expect from this team following the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades.
It should be noted that Markkanen spent last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nevertheless, the Bulls are the team he came up with in the NBA. There is destined to be extra motivation whenever he faces Chicago.
It will be interesting to see what kind of reception the potential All-Star receives on Friday from the Chicago crowd.
Lauri Markkanen may be in line for a monster performance in this revenge game. The Jazz will look to get the job done on the road against the Bulls in what projects to be an enticing affair.