“I played him in Chicago & in Cleveland & I didn’t see this” – Pacers guard is surprised on Lauri Markkanen’s All-Star level performance this season
Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz have been on an absolute tear this season. In fact, the team has been the biggest surprise since the season began as they jumped out to first place in the Western Conference. The Jazz (10-3) have been on a four-game win streak, most recently defeating the Atlanta Hawks 125-119 on Wednesday.
The most impressive player on the Jazz this season has been Markkanen. "The Finnisher," who was sent to the Jazz as part of the Cleveland Cavaliers' trade for Donovan Mitchell, is averaging a career-high 22.7 points per game. In addition, he has posted a remarkable 52.7% field-goal percentage, the highest of his career.
Analysts, fans and players have been blown away by the Jazz' performance this season. After the team traded Rudy Gobert and Mitchell this offseason, many thought Utah was trying to tank for uber-draft prospect Victor Wembanyama. The way things look right now, that's far from the case in Utah.
The way Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton sees things, Markkanen, now in his sixth season, is a completely different player than in years past.
"I think he's looked awesome, but also I played against him in Chicago and in Cleveland and I didn't see this," Haliburton said. "He's looked really good. He looked good in the summer playing with Finland. He was cooking over there, and he's cooking now. I did not expect – this is a step up from what I thought he was capable of."
The comments, which came during a recent episode of "The Old Man & The Three" podcast with JJ Redick can be seen in the video below.
A look at why Lauri Markkanen is playing so well
During his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls, Markkanen amazed. In just his 41st game, "The Finnisher" became the fastest player to reach 100 career 3-pointers. With an average of 15.2 ppg, Markkanen finished fourth in scoring for the Bulls. It was an impressive start to his young career, leaving many to wonder just what the future would hold.
Unfortunately for Markannen, injuries the following season began to derail his hype train. In 2018-19 he appeared in 52 games. Although he managed to improve on his numbers from the previous season (18.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg), many began to worry about lower-body injuries.
The following year, Markkanen appeared in just 50 games as his season averages took a sharp downturn (14.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg). It was more of the same during his fourth year in Chicago as he played in 51 games and posted a career low in scoring and rebounds (13.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg). Injury woes combined with Jim Boylan's inability to coach the young team sparked a rough season in Chicago.
Things seemed to change last season in Cleveland, however, when Markkanen played in 61 games. During his one and only year with the Cavaliers, his season averages began to rise once more (14.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg).
Considering how dominant Markkanen has been this season, it seems as though his lack of production was the result of injuries, not a lack of skill. While the Chicago Bulls' front office is likely left lamenting the loss of "The Finnisher," he seems poised to continue to dominate in Utah.
Check out some of his season highlights below.