Lauri Markkanen Articles - Page 4

The Oklahoma City Thunder had an impressive season with their young core. The Thunder enter the offseason with the potential to make a trade to solidify themselves as contenders. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is their superstar, as he finished second for the MVP award this season. He averaged an impressive 30.1 points per game, along with 5.5 […]

The NBA Draft Combine is a wrap and the postseason is down to the final four teams. Every other franchise is scheduling private workouts and starting to push for information to use in the trade market. The New Orleans Pelicans are in the middle of action with many league media members assuming Brandon Ingram will […]

The Utah Jazz have not been quite the same since Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell left. There have been flashes of possible glory with the rise of guys like Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, and Keyonte George. But, having a play-in tournament ceiling is not quite what most teams in the league are gunning for. This […]

The Arizona Coyotes are no longer in business as Ryan Smith bought the franchise and will see them pack up for Utah. This squad has gone through a lot and has amassed a dedicated fan base during its stay. Now, it will see a new environment where avid spectators of the Utah Jazz get to […]

On Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers escaped a close-run thing against the Miami Heat, taking home a 105-104 victory thanks in large part to the heroics of proven playoff performer Nicolas Batum. One unheralded effect of the 76ers’ victory is that sharpshooter Buddy Hield has now made the playoffs for the first time in his […]

The Miami Heat come into the Kaseya Center after being gone since Feb. 11 and get the win over the Utah Jazz, 126-120. This means the team as won 10 of their last 13 games. FINAL: Heat 126 – Jazz 120 Miami outlasts Utah in the fourth quarter and gets the bounce back win after […]

The Utah Jazz have taken a step back and were on a five-game losing streak before a win over the San Antonio Spurs. Utah is in 11th place in the Western Conference at 27-31 and three games behind the Golden State Warriors. With basketball back in action, we’ll be making our Jazz bold predictions after […]

The NBA All-Star Game is an annual showcase of the best players in the NBA season. More often than not, an All-Star selection is a strong validation that a player has reached an elite level. Given that basketball is a global sport, it isn’t surprising that more and more international players are earning All-Star selections. […]

Damian Lillard is shooting just 34.7% from beyond the arc this season, one of the lowest marks of his Hall-of-Fame career. Don’t let that uncharacteristically average accuracy fool you into assuming the Milwaukee Bucks superstar is no longer one of the league’s most flammable marksmen, though—a reality Vegas believes he’s poised to prove once again […]

As the NBA trade deadline approaches, franchises are evaluating their rosters and deciding if they should move on or try to keep some fringe players who could make an impact. The Utah Jazz are clinging to a spot in the Western Conference play-in, which led some analysts to question whether the Jazz would trade players […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2023-24 NBA season so far. Not a lot of people expected the Thunder to be among the top teams in the Western Conference this deep into the campaign. Oklahoma City seems pleased with where it stands at this juncture of the season. That’s why […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder, the second-youngest team in the Association, seem to be ahead of schedule. Perhaps only a select few — mostly delusional Thunder believers — would have predicted them to be the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference at this juncture of the 2023-24 NBA season. But alas, we are now past […]

Another heartbreaking defeat. It’s either that or just a completely disheartening blowout performance. That’s been the theme for the Golden State Warriors all season after they suffered another heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night. With another loss, Stephen Curry and the Warriors continue to fall further in the Western Conference […]

The NBA Trade Deadline is just around the corner and the rumors mills are churning out possible deals, both the practical and the fantastical. The New Orleans Pelicans haven’t been front of center in the trade market but rather have been working the margins looking for possible updates. They’ve already ducked under the NBA’s luxury […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have a long list of grievances and reasons to play the visiting Utah Jazz with revenge on the mind. First, the Crescent City’s fans want the franchise on the other side of the Rocky Mountains to remove the word Jazz from their vocabulary. More importantly, the Jazz have beaten the Pelicans […]

The Utah Jazz found themselves with a .500 record on Sunday, January 21 with the trade deadline just over two weeks away. Team CEO Danny Ainge’s Jazz have gotten great effort and interesting results out of its young roster this season with both eyes focused firmly on the future. Recently, Jazz Coach Will Hardy shared […]

Recently, the Indiana Pacers sent shockwaves throughout the NBA world when it was announced that they would be trading for Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors. Indiana has been one of the most surprising stories throughout the first half of the NBA season, led by dynamic point guard Tyrese Haliburton; however, most pundits viewed the […]

NBA players are reacting to Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic’s sudden passing on Wednesday at 46 years old. Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski has shared his thoughts on the late coach on social media, and now other NBA players have joined in. Utah Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen shared on social media, “Awful news today.. […]

Spearheaded by Lauri Markkanen, the Utah Jazz defeated the Indiana Pacers in a blowout at home, leading by as much as 29 points at one point. Prior to tipoff, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle praised Markkanen, who eventually had another big night. In Carlisle’s exact words, Markkanen is “the closest thing I’ve seen to (Dirk) […]

The Utah Jazz are currently ranked 11th in the Western Conference in terms of their overall record, and the team is doing its best to make a push before the end of the first half of the season. With an 18-20 record the Jazz are now firmly behind young teams like the Rockets and the […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder, believe it or not, maybe don’t even need a significant upgrade at the trade deadline to win a title this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and company enter Wednesday’s action at 23-9, a game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for first-place in the Western Conference. The Thunder’s +8.5 net rating ranks third […]

The Utah Jazz may be playing at a much better level as of late, but the writing remains on the wall with regards to their status as a selling team come the trade deadline. After all, with a 15-19 record, the Jazz still sit way outside the playoff picture, and a cursory look at their […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are an exciting team to watch ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline. Oklahoma City has loads of extra draft capital and the salaries to make a big move. The Thunder are off to an 18-8 start, which has them in second place in the Western Conference. They are led by […]

The Utah Jazz entered the 2023-24 with a young roster and a myriad of questions to answer. Their 11-18 record reflects that type of inexperience and uncertainty, but there is still cause for optimism down the road. The primary path to attaining that future hope goes through Lauri Markkanen. The All-Star forward will either continue […]

There seems to be some semblance of life for the Golden State Warriors after their impressive come-from-behind win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. Stephen Curry showed once again why he is the most clutch player in the NBA. Klay Thompson is slowly beginning to regain his form. Steve Kerr’s internal changes such as sending […]

Alert, this is not a drill. Mitchell Robinson will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2023-24 season — and that’s a major problem for the New York Knicks.  As of Thursday afternoon, the Knicks PR team had not announced anything about Robinson’s injury. The team’s most recent public reference to Robinson came on December […]

Could Thursday finally be the day? Superstars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, and Ja Morant will be in action across the NBA, but everyone’s attention with be on the Detroit Pistons, who enter their matchup with the Utah Jazz on a historic 24-game losing streak. The Pistons have not won a game since before […]

December 15th has come and gone, which means that trade season has officially begun in the NBA. January 15th is when every player signed in free agency becomes trade eligible, but December 15th is when the majority of players signed in free agency become eligible to be traded. Plenty of teams will be worth watching […]

The Atlanta Hawks were a team with aspirations of making a leap in 2023-24. They’ve made the playoffs through the play-in tournament in each of the last two seasons, but the expectation during Quin Snyder’s first full season as coach was for the Hawks to advance to the postseason outright. Atlanta has fallen well short […]

The Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz were surprise winners last season, but are headed in opposite directions as we head into 2024. For that reason, a Lauri Markkanen trade between the two franchises makes a lot of sense. Here is the Kings trade offer they must send to the Jazz for the dynamic forward. The […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have played extremely well this season. Oklahoma City is in second place in the Western Conference at 16-8. However, there are still a few pieces the Thunder need to bolster their playoff hopes. The Thunder are equipped with significant draft capital, making them a threat to land any center on the […]

Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz are reportedly considering moving All-Star Lauri Markkanen in a trade, and Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer gave a suggestion regarding what the team could be looking to get in return. “So what’s the line for an acceptable offer? My impression from talking to teams is that it’s something resembling […]

Lauri Markkanen has been the subject of numerous trade rumors already this season. A trade is seemingly becoming more realistic as the Utah Jazz, who hold a 9-17 record as of this story’s writing, continue to struggle. Markkanen recently broke his silence on the trade rumors via a conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic. […]

The Utah Jazz were a surprise team to start last season and one main reason for their success was Finnish forward Lauri Markkanen. He had an impressive 2022-23 campaign as he was selected as an All-Star starter in his home city of Salt Lake. Looking to build off his spectacular year, Markkanen has been terrific, […]

Lauri Markkanen was the league’s pre-eminent breakout star during the 2022-23 season, earning Most Improved Player honors in his first season as the number one option for the Utah Jazz. As a result, Markkanen became the pillar of the Jazz’s rebuilding efforts given how versatile the 26-year old forward is on the offensive end. However, […]

To say that the Utah Jazz have been struggling would be an understatement. This team has lost nine of their last 12 games and have struggled to find their identity on offense without All-Star Lauri Markkanen. After missing the last eight games due to a hamstring injury, Markkanen appears to be on track to return […]

The Utah Jazz’s depth is starting to show despite not having Lauri Markkanen. They got a needed win over the New Orleans Pelicans where everyone was able to contribute to the best that they could. Will Hardy is managing players like Walker Kessler, Simone Fontecchio, Keyonte George, and other key players. His schematics paved the […]

A 5-11 team who already struggles to shoot the ball cannot typically afford to be without its best player. But that is the unlucky hand the Utah Jazz are being dealt ahead of Monday night’s home matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans. Lauri Markkanen has been ruled out with a left hamstring strain, per the […]

The Utah Jazz got off to a great start last season. Around this time last season, the Jazz were 12-6 with a +3.9 net rating that ranked seventh in the NBA at the time, per NBA.com. Lauri Markkanen was just beginning what would become his breakout season and Jordan Clarkson looked rejuvenated as a starter. […]