Lauri Markkanen Articles - Page 5

Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz has won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, according to ESPN. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder finished second, while Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks finished third. Lauri Markkanen received 69 first-place votes, 27 second-place votes and four third-place votes, giving him 430 total points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander […]

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George firmly believes Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen deserves to win the Most Improved Player award for 2022-23, and for good reason. Markkanen is one of the three finalists for the honor along with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. All three have […]

After a few years of being labeled as a “bust”, it seems like Lauri Markkanen finally found his groove. After being traded to the Utah Jazz, the Finnish forward broke out as one of the best players for the team. He’s a big reason why Utah was in the playoff hunt right until the end […]

As far as NBA awards go, none are less exact or more backhanded than Most Improved Player. While all NBA awards have an inexact set of criteria, the MIP is particularly confusing, its winners existing in some fuzzy halfspace between mediocrity and greatness. Here’s an award that’s been won by future Hall of Fame caliber […]

While most players will be off to a vacation in the offseason, Lauri Markkanen will be busy learning how to defend Finland. The Utah Jazz marksman will be serving a mandatory service for the Finnish military after the end of the 2022-23 NBA season. Once Twitter citizens heard of the news of Lauri Markkanen joining […]

After shocking the basketball world with a totally unexpected strong start to the season, the Utah Jazz have now fallen back down to earth. They are now just a few games away from their playoff-less campaign officially coming to an end as they look toward another very interesting offseason. They have a game coming up […]

While other NBA players will be doing their routine offseason workouts, rehabbing their injuries, or simply relaxing, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen will be entering the military service. Not that he has any choice in the matter. “It’s mandatory, we have to do it, but at the same time we take pride in it, too,” […]

The 12-seeded Utah Jazz have four games to try and work their way into the play-in picture. Trailing the 10-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder by a mere two wins, Will Hardy and company are going to need to win during their remaining regular season schedule to simply give themselves a chance at keeping their postseason hopes […]

After a bounceback season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a strong showing for the Finnish national team in the EuroBasket tournament that following summer, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has had a career season in Salt Lake City and looks to be the frontrunner for the 2023 Most Improved Player award. Markkanen, who was drafted […]

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen was one of two players that the franchise made untouchable ahead of the 2022-23 trade deadline but in case he needed any more indication that the Jazz plan to keep him for the long run, he got it. In a lengthy interview about his career journey, Markkanen told HoopsHype’s Michael […]

The Utah Jazz get to host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night in what is going to be one out of their last four games of the season. A matchup against the Lakers is always a huge draw for any team, and the same will be the case for the Jazz […]

The Utah Jazz remain in playoff contention as the 2022-23 regular season winds down. They will face the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon and look to secure a win as they fall out of position for the play-in tournament. Before the 3:30 P.M. EST tip-off, an important question lingers: Is Lauri Markkanen playing vs. the Nets? Lauri […]

Lauri Markkanen has missed four out of the Utah Jazz‘s last five games due to a nagging hand injury. It doesn’t seem overly concerning, given how the official diagnosis is a left hand contusion, but it has been serious enough for the All-Star big man to be forced to sit out a handful of crucial […]

At the moment, the Utah Jazz are 1.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 10th and final Play-In spot in the West. The Jazz still have everything to play for this season with six games remaining, which includes Friday night’s matchup against the mighty Boston Celtics. The bad news for Utah is that […]

The Utah Jazz are fighting for dear life in the West. As of writing, they are 12th in the conference with a 35-40 record. All hope is not lost, though, as the Jazz sit just two games outside the Play-In picture in the wild West. Utah has a big game coming up on Wednesday as […]

Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen has missed the last two games due to a hand injury. Unsurprisingly, without their best player, the Jazz have struggled of late, as they own an 0-2 record since Markkanen’s been out with losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings. So when Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and the Phoenix […]

The Utah Jazz have to win on Saturday night against the Sacramento Kings if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. A loss would not be the end of the world for them, but it will certainly deliver a considerable blow to the Jazz’s chances of securing a spot in the Play-In tournament out […]

The Utah Jazz are fighting for dear life out in the West as they currently lie half a game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the 10th and final Play-In spot in the conference. They have a big game coming up on Friday against the mighty Milwaukee Bucks, and unfortunately for Jazz fans, their team […]

The Utah Jazz may have fallen off their torrid pace to begin the year, but it has not put a stop on the rolling train that is Lauri Markkanen’s breakout 2022-23 campaign. In fact, not even back and hand injuries could stop Markkanen from scorching the nets after he poured in yet another incredible performance […]

Utah Jazz star forward Lauri Markkanen missed Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings due to a back injury. The Jazz fared well without Markkanen in the lineup, as they managed to beat the Kings by a final score of 128-120 behind 27 points from Ochai Agbaji. Still, when Cam Reddish, Jusuf Nurkic, and the Portland […]

Utah Jazz star forward Lauri Markkanen missed Monday’s game against the Kings due to a back injury. The Jazz fared surprisingly well without their best player, though, as they managed to beat the Kings by a final score of 128-120 behind 27 points from Ochai Agbaji. And in other good news for Jazz fans, a […]

The Utah Jazz are right in the middle of an all-out race out West for the final few Play-In spots in the conference. They have a big game scheduled on Monday against the No. 3 seed Sacramento Kings, and a loss could see them fall out of the Top 10 in the West. The bad […]

Despite falling off their hot start to the 2022-23 campaign, this season has still been a huge success for Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz. Many expected the Jazz to roll over and punt the season to gain the best odds of drafting Victor Wembanyama; instead, Markkanen turned into a bonafide offensive star, earning his […]

Utah Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen seems to be doubling down on Luka Doncic’s comments about the league’s offensive gameplay, particularly in the scoring department. Back during his rookie campaign in 2018-19, the Dallas Mavericks star made remarks about how he believes it’s easier to buy a bucket in the NBA than it is in […]

It has been a whirlwind past six months for Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz. Many counted out the Jazz before the season even began after they traded away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. But here the Jazz are in March, still in the thick of the play-in tournament hunt thanks to a much-needed 131-124 […]

Lauri Markkanen has to go down as one of the most respectful players in NBA history for doing this one simple act. Normally, when a player enters a new team and his preferred jersey number isn’t retired by the team, it’s up for grabs. While you’ll see some players ask permission from past Hall of […]

Since Lauri Markkanen (among other players) was traded to the Utah Jazz from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Donovan Mitchell, he has put-up astounding numbers with his new team. Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Markkanen had a performance that might have outdone all of the other ones. Lauri Markkanen scored a game-high […]

The Utah Jazz are aiming to sneak into the NBA Playoffs this season. However, they have fallen from their once lofty perch in the Western Conference. Right now, the Jazz currently tote a 29-31 win-loss record. That is good enough to put them in 11th place in the West. Of course, take note that there […]

Denver Nuggets’ superstar Nikola Jokic made headlines at the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night, and not for his play on the court. The 28-year-old mistakenly thought he was the last pick in the draft, selecting himself for Team LeBron when Lauri Markkanen was still waiting for his name to be called. It was one […]

LeBron James held a press conference ahead of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, and he had some nice words for Lauri Markkanen of the hosting Utah Jazz, and made a joke about why he has always liked him. “Always been a talented kid, and I’ve always liked him ’cause he’s always worn LeBron shoes,” LeBron […]

Lauri Markkanen’s rise in the NBA has been one of the best stories in the league this year. The 25-year-old forward’s leap since getting traded to the Utah Jazz has culminated in him making his first all-star game appearance. There was a point during his Chicago Bulls tenure where it seemed like he wouldn’t bloom […]

Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green is as savage as they come when it comes to talking trash. This is exactly why it’s very interesting to hear about his smack-talking prowess from his own peers that have experienced the same firsthand. For Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, however, it appears that he hasn’t experienced the […]

Donovan Mitchell was traded by the Utah Jazz during the offseason with the All-Star unsure about the direction of the franchise moving forward. However, while there already seemed to be no hard feelings from either end, Saturday provided further evidence that he still has his eye trained on the Utah mountains. Back in Salt Lake […]

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has been playing the best basketball of his life. Named to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career, Markkanen has taken the reins of a young and competitive Jazz squad. If somebody would have told an eight-year-old Markkanen that this would be his life present day, he […]

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen starred in Monday’s game against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers. He scored 29 points on 10-for-20 shooting from the field, pulled down 11 rebounds, and dished out a pair of assists in the 123-117 Jazz victory. So when the Jazz visit FedExForum on Wednesday night to play Ja Morant, […]

After a scorching hot start to the 2022-23 NBA season, the Utah Jazz have come crashing back down to earth. After leading the Western Conference for a point in time, the Jazz have fallen all the way down to tenth with a 27-27 record. This is more in line with their expectations after they traded […]

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen was named as an All-Star for the first time in his career on Thursday, as the league announced the reserves for the 2023 All-Star Game. 4 players will be making their NBA All-Star debuts in Salt Lake City this month 🙌 🌟 Jaren Jackson Jr.🌟 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander🌟 Lauri Markkanen🌟 Tyrese […]

Lauri Markkanen is the gift that keeps on giving for the Utah Jazz and that gift also turned into a nightmare for Los Angles Clippers center Ivica Zubac who got mercilessly posterized by the Jazz star in the third quarter of Wednsdaey night’s showdown in Salt Lake City. LAURI MARKKANEN POSTER ON IVICA ZUBAC 🔥pic.twitter.com/Zk5dEBDmfp […]

Lauri Markkanen has been playing out of his mind this year for the Utah Jazz. It goes without saying that he’s firmly established himself as one of the most important players on the roster and that it’s no surprise that the Jazz struggle whenever the 7-foot power forward is sidelined with injury. Fortunately for Utah, […]