Lauri Markkanen is putting together one of the most remarkable individual runs in recent EuroBasket memory.
Finland / Schedule
The Finnish forward just became only the second player in the last 36 years of the tournament to record multiple 40-point games, an achievement that stands out even more when you consider the context of European basketball.
Unlike the NBA, FIBA games are shorter, defenses are more compact, the game is far more physical, and there are fewer possessions overall.
In that environment, hitting the 40-point mark even once is special; doing it multiple times is historic.
But what makes Markkanen's run so impressive is that it isn't empty scoring. Finland already won three games, powered by Markkanen's averages of 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists per game.
He's posting an efficiency rating around 31 and holding a plus/minus of +12.
In other words, his dominance is directly translating into wins, the exact opposite of his NBA experience, where he holds the unfortunate record for the most career games played (450) without ever reaching the playoffs.
A Different Role in FIBA
Markkanen has been a primary option in NBA offenses in recent years, but the way Finland uses him in international competition is on a completely different level.
His usage is high in both settings, but the types of opportunities he gets vary dramatically.
In the NBA, Markkanen is rarely featured in the post. Only about 6 percent of his possessions last season came from post-up situations, as he is not typically viewed as a consistent interior scorer.
For Finland, however, the post-up is one of Markkanen's main weapons, accounting for around 16 percent of his offensive actions.
Lauri
Lauri
Credit FIBA
Similarly, his isolation frequency jumps from just 3 percent in the NBA to over 10 percent at EuroBasket.
What this means is that when he puts on the Finnish jersey, he is trusted as a true on-ball creator.
He handles the ball in pick-and-roll situations, isolates more frequently, and the system revolves around him finding ways to score or make plays.
In Utah, he spends much more time operating off the ball, catching and shooting, popping after screens, or coming off off-ball actions.
Roughly 16 percent of his plays in the NBA come off screens, compared to about 11 percent in international play.
For Finland, the message is simple: here are the keys, create, score, and carry the team.
And this freedom has unlocked another dimension of his game. He is no longer just a system scorer or a floor-spacing forward.
In FIBA play, Markkanen looks like a genuine three-level shot creator — and he's efficient while doing it.
Lauri
Lauri
Credit Sarah Stier/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix
Across both the World Cup and EuroBasket, he's shooting around 51 percent from the field, a noticeable jump from his 45 percent career NBA average.
On this stage, he doesn't just resemble an NBA All-Star; he looks like a legitimate superstar.
Pick-and-Roll Creator
One of the biggest differences in Finland's system is how it utilizes Markkanen as a ball handler in pick-and-roll situations, often in "inverted" actions where a guard screens for him.
Defenses aren't accustomed to dealing with seven-footers who can dribble, spin out of pressure, and attack gaps like a guard.
Against Sweden, for example, he punished a hedge by spinning out, maintaining control, and driving through the opening for a finish.
Against Great Britain, he read the defense sagging off and simply pulled up for a smooth three-pointer off the dribble.
These sequences highlight why inverted pick-and-rolls are so effective: if defenders play soft, he has the range to shoot; if they switch, he has the strength and size to overpower; if they hedge or trap, his ballhandling allows him to escape.
For NBA teams like Utah, this raises an interesting question. While Markkanen doesn't need to be used this way as frequently as with Finland, selectively deploying him as a pick-and-roll ballhandler could open up new offensive wrinkles.
Dominating in the Post
Perhaps the most important part of Finland's offense is Markkanen's post-up game. He consistently establishes a position on the low block or the high post, forcing defenses to make tough decisions.
Nearly half the time, he goes into a jumper from these situations, often turning to his deadly fadeaway.
The fadeaway is one of basketball's timeless shots — impossible to truly defend when executed by tall, skilled players like Kevin Durant or Dirk Nowitzki.
Markkanen is now adding himself to that lineage.
At EuroBasket, he's scoring 1.25 points per possession on jumpers out of post-ups, turning what is widely considered a difficult shot into a reliable weapon.
Defenders can deny the catch or bring help, but once he gets to his spot, the outcome is largely out of their control.
Thriving in Transition
Another area where Finland excels is in transition, ranking second in the tournament in frequency (14.7 percent of possessions), just behind Germany.
Unsurprisingly, Markkanen is the focal point here as well — both as a scorer and as a creator.
He regularly pushes the ball coast-to-coast, using his combination of speed and strength to overwhelm opponents.
His coast-to-coast sprints have drawn fouls, created dunks, and collapsed defenses. Just as important, though, is how his gravity opens up passing opportunities.
Defenses are so intent on cutting off his path to the rim that they overcommit, allowing him to find teammates in the corners or trailing behind.
Lauri
Lauri
Credit FIBA Media
His vision in these situations has been impressive. This willingness to make the right play has made Finland's transition attack one of the most dangerous in EuroBasket.
Half-Court Sets and Creativity
While much of his damage comes in isolation, post-ups, and transition, Finland also uses creative half-court sets to maximize Markkanen's versatility.
One example is their motion offense flowing into a zoom action, followed by a Gortat screen that frees him for a dunk.
Another involves a handoff designed as misdirection before setting up a backdoor alley-oop for him.
These plays highlight Finland's tactical creativity but also how much trust they place in their star.
By using screens, movement, and timing, they consistently find ways to get him the ball in positions where he can either attack or finish with high efficiency.
When it comes to evaluating Markkanen, it's important to stay realistic. His numbers at EuroBasket are incredible, and the comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki aren't unwarranted — he's breaking records and showing flashes of a superstar's skill set.
But so far, he hasn't done it on the biggest stage yet.
Against top-tier teams like Serbia, Australia, and most recently Lithuania, he hasn't been as dominant.
That's understandable: when you're the best player on a team that isn't among the elite, opposing defenses can focus entirely on you.
Against strong, well-prepared defenses, it's extremely difficult to put up the same scoring nights while remaining efficient.
Whether Markkanen can elevate his game in elimination matches against top-tier opponents will ultimately determine if he belongs in the conversation among FIBA's most dominant players.
For now, what he's doing is extraordinary — and if he can bring that level against the best, the EuroBasket history books could remember him as one of the all-time greats in the tournament.
Vukašin Nedeljković
Vukašin played basketball competitively in his youth, and now contributes to Synergy Sports Technology and Sportradar regarding basketball analysis. He also has experience working as a journalist in Serbia and is passionate about writing basketball articles mainly focused on basketball X's and O's.
About author
Thank you for being with us! Subscribe to BN+ and browse ad-free.