Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen says 18-year-old NBA prospect Miikka Muurinen was even more athletic than he was at the same age. Markkanen also noted that competitiveness, his length, and athleticism are the biggest of Muurinen's strengths.
There's no doubt that Lauri Markkanen is the biggest Finnish basketball star and alpha of its EuroBasket 2025 team.
Finland / Schedule
However, Finland has another star in the making – the 18-year-old Miikka Muurinen, or as fans call him, Slim Jesus.
Muurinen is considered a consensus 5-star recruit and received over 20 offers from NCAA teams.
As of now, he's considering seven schools: Duke, Michigan, Kentucky, Arkansas, NC State, Indiana, and North Carolina.
Even though Muurinen will spend one more year in high school, Markkanen is already impressed with his teammate on the national team.
"He's really talented, can do so many things, and he helps our team so much already with his length, athleticism, and competitiveness that he has. And so, he's got a bright future ahead of him," Markkanen told BasketNews.
Markkanen was the 7th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. So, how would he compare the 18-year-old Lauri Markkanen to Miika Muurinen?
"We get that comparison a lot," Markkanen admitted. "He's really athletic. I don't think I was jumping that high. I probably had the same energy as he has in practice and stuff, doing all the extra stuff."
"He was probably more athletic than I was at 18. And I think at that point I could shoot a little bit more. So we're a little bit different, but there are similarities, obviously. But I'm really excited for him and his future and what he can bring to our team in the future as well," the Jazz star added.
Slim Jesus has already produced several highlights worth attention. One was a 3-pointer over Nikola Jokic, but the most iconic came with his slam dunk, where Muurinen bent his body in mid-air.
Markkanen believes Muurinen's athleticism will be one of the qualities that open the door to the NBA for him.
"Competitiveness, his length and athleticism," Markkanen told BasketNews. "He's still young and he can learn a lot, but I think he's on the right path and he can really make a name for himself, even after this tournament and being in the big league."
FIBA Markkanen Is An Absolute Monster
Edvinas Jablonskis
Edvinas Jablonskis began his basketball coverage career in 2017. Starting as a Daily Writer for BasketNews.lt, he steadily climbed the ranks and became a Daily Editor for BasketNews.com in 2021, a position he continues to hold. Over the years, Jablonskis has covered multiple EuroLeague Final Fours and international tournaments, including the FIBA EuroBasket, FIBA Basketball World Cup, and FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
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