Lauri Markkanen measures in at seven-feet tall with amazing range and efficiency. His height and ability to space the floor make him an intriguing prospect.
Who Is Lauri Markkanen?
Lauri Markkanen is one of the most highly touted big men in this year’s NBA Draft class, and he’ll enter the league boasting the same template of shooting and offensive awareness that his led to success for a number of international bigs in recent years.
Markkanen declared for the 2017 draft on Mar. 20, 2017 following a successful season at Arizona under coach Sean Miller. Markkanen will be 20 in May, but has played professionally overseas in Finland, his home country.
Markkanen’s season as a Wildcat was highlighted by lights out shooting and impressive range. In his single season at Arizona, Markkanen impressed on offense, averaging 15.6 points per game with an outstanding .635 true shooting percentage (42.3 percent on three-pointers).
Let’s take a closer look at one of the 2017 draft’s most intriguing prospects.
Strengths
In a league that values shooting and spacing, Markkanen is definitely an attractive piece for any team. Markkanen can shoot off the dribble, but he excels shooting in pick-and-pop situations.
Markkanen is a sharpshooter. During his one-year tenure at Arizona, nearly 45 percent of his 10.2 shots per game came from behind the three-point line.
As he transitions to playing against larger, more athletic competition and continues to increase his own strength and size, Markkanen will likely rely heavily on his outside shot to start his NBA career.
It’s hard to not compare a seven-foot European with a sweet shot to Dirk Nowitzki; I’m sure that will be the story during the draft. But it’s just not accurate in this case.
Markkanen’s NBA ceiling appears to be more aligned with a Channing Frye or Ryan Anderson-type: he’s smart, he’s an active rebounder and he can score from anywhere on the floor – especially from beyond the arc.
Weaknesses
Size and physicality will end up hurting Markkanen on both sides of the floor. Markkanen will need to be put on a strength regimen to bolster his ability to play against NBA bigs.
He stands tall, but the rest of his body isn’t quite as impressive. He lacks length and he is bullied around by more physical players. While his ability to drive and pull-up efficiently is an impressive attribute, being able to finish at the rim with strength will take some work.
Many of his weaknesses were made up for by his intelligence and discipline. In his single season at Arizona, Markkanen put up good rebounding numbers due mostly to his solid positioning and textbook box-outs. Additionally, while struggling playing on-ball defense, he looked competent switching and positioning when thrown into pick-and-roll scenarios.
Despite his size, Markkanen’s lack of length, vertical ability and overall physicality will hurt his chances of playing meaningful minutes out of the gate. He will need to become a better passer, as well. That said, Markkanen’s shooting ability will make it impossible to keep him off the court.
What the Experts Say
(as of 4/5/17)
Draft Express (Jonathan Givony): 24th
ESPN (Chad Ford): 8th
CBS (Howard Megdal): 8th
Sporting News (Sam Vecenie): 10th
The Step Back (Trevor Magnotti): 9th
Quotes:
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report notes that the Finnish native’s reliable shooting stroke should help NBA front offices to ignore some of his other flaws, and find a role for him when he arrives in the league.
"“Once he transitions, Markkanen’s size and jumper should keep him afloat and create a high floor that reduces perceived risk. But it hasn’t just been spot-up shooting that’s drawn attention. Like Porzingis, Markkanen can knock down jumpers off screens and even create his own with pull-up body control and step-back footwork.”"
Chris Stone of The Step Back doubles down on Markkanen’s biggest strength, indicating that he will need his offense to outweigh any defensive weaknesses to be successful in the NBA.
"“The belief in Markkanen, though, stems from a hope that his offense will outshine any defensive weaknesses he has. The Finnish prospect is an outstanding offensive talent who can attack defenders in a variety of ways and looks capable of doing so at the next level.”"
Fit with the Bucks
Lauri Markkanen is a fit on any team that needs shooting, and unsurprisingly, the Bucks are one of those teams. Imagine a shooting wizard spacing the floor as Giannis or Jabari drive and dish. Isn’t that why they signed Mirza Teletovic?
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Well, Markkanen is what an “elite” Teletovic looks like. What he lacks in physical defense or rim protection is made up for with a sweet stroke. His lack of length can be masked alongside the long arms of the Bucks’ bigs.
If the Bucks are able to draft Lauri Markkanen, they will get a ready-to-contribute rotational piece. Time with Milwaukee’s training staff will help to add size and strength, and some time with the coaching staff will hopefully help determine his fit – stretch four, five?
Overall, Markkanen is an interesting fit with Milwaukee, but he is currently projected just inside the top-10, putting him outside of reach for the Bucks. The NBA loves stretch-fours, so it’s hard to imagine owners letting him fall out of the lottery.
Next: NBA Draft 2017 Prospect Watch: Justin Patton
There doesn’t seem to be enough here for Milwaukee to trade up to draft him, but I can’t argue with the logic of putting high-level shooters around Giannis.