With no playoff appearances at 28 years old, Lauri Markkanen discussed the Jazz's timeline and his future amid the trade deadline looming, saying everyone on the team is working as fast as they can to become a contending team. He also addressed the snub of not being named an All-Star, admitting he thinks he has played at the level needed to make the selection.
Less than an hour before the Sunday night game between the Toronto Raptors and the Utah Jazz, the atmosphere at Scotiabank Arena was unusually calm.
It was a striking silence as a superstar like Lauri Markkanen was warming up and swishing shot after shot.
Even though he is a 7'1" flashy giant, Markkanen didn't draw the hype that usually superstars do in Toronto.
As meticulous as some players are with their pregame routines, the Finnish power forward made an exception this time and interrupted his workout to visit what was a little Finland for a moment in one of the corners of the court.
Credit Toni Canyameras
A group of enthusiastic Finnish fans was eagerly waiting for him.
The Jazz's star patiently made sure that every single fan got a picture or an autograph.
It was only then that Markkanen was able to feel himself as what he, in essence, is: an All-Star.
Besides, Vantaa's native proved, once again, to belong in this privileged category through the numbers.
Markkanen's All-Star Performance – Without the All-Star Nod
Despite the Jazz's loss to the Raptors (100-107), the power forward had 29 points and 11 rebounds, but he truly lit up the night for his noisy Finnish supporters with a fancy play that made the highlights.
After his symbolic block on the recently named All-Star Scottie Barnes, he got out in transition and cooked Barnes again on the end of the floor with dazzling handling.
Markkanen gilded the lily with a self alley-oop, dunking his own pass off the glass.
The sequence was an ultimate statement from an All-Star, but he is not, to the eyes of players, media, and fans in the NBA, as he didn't make the reserve team either.
The only statement that resonated was from Jazz's coach to take a blast at whoever was the snub's fault. Will Hardy didn't hold back.
"Well, I think Lauri is an All-Star level player," Utah's coach told BasketNews. "I think there are a lot of decisions as it relates to who gets promoted and who doesn't that don't make sense to me."
Lauri Markkanen Reacts to NBA All-Star Game Snub
In contrast, Markkanen slightly smiled in the locker room while reflecting on whether he felt snubbed.
"I want to think I play at that level," Markkanen told BasketNews after the game.
"I want to make it, obviously, but I also understand the league in general. Especially, I feel like in the Western Conference there are a lot of guys that deserve to get in, and I feel like I played at that level, but it didn't happen," Markkanen added.
"I just got to keep working to get better, and I think it's still doable in the future, so I'm not getting too down on it. Obviously, you want to make it, but, like I say, control what you can control," said the 28-year-old, whose only appearance in the All-Star was in Salt Lake City in 2023 in his first year in Utah.
The Western Conference All-Star team features European juggernauts such as Luka Doncic, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama, while Deni Avdija will make his debut.
Still, Markkanen has made a strong case to be named an All-Star this season as he is among the 10 best scorers in the NBA.
The Finnish player ranks 9th in that list, averaging 27.4 points, which also makes him the top scorer among seven-footers.
Blooming in a Small Market: Markkanen's Utah Breakout
The fierce Western competition is a key reason to understand Markkanen's snub, as is another contextual fact inherent to Utah.
The Finnish power forward plays in what the NBA calls 'a small market', a kind of euphemism to define teams located in remote cities often overlooked by the American media, as is the case in Salt Lake City.
Nevertheless, it was in the harsh winter of a secluded, cold place, comparable to his native Finland, that Markkanen began blossoming into a massive scorer in 2022 after the Cavaliers traded him to the Jazz.
At the foot of the Rocky Mountains, the Scandinavian giant ascended to stardom in the second-highest NBA city by attitude at 1.300 meters, from the promising but still raw player that averaged 14.8 points in his last year in Cleveland to the actual 27.4-point average.
Markkanen has established himself as a sharpshooter, shooting 36% on 8 attempts per game.
While the Finnish player has an unusually quick release for a seven-footer, what also sets him apart is his ability to cut as a small and sneaky point guard, as the 9th player in the NBA who produces more points off cuts.
The power forward offered some insights about the keys to his constant growth.
"I think the keys are the guys that I play with, the system that we have. I think we play very unselfish basketball. I try to move as much as I can off the ball and try to get some easy ones over there," Markkanen explained.
"It's going to be nice, the shots go in, the shots don't go in, but I think just the way we play fits me really well. I've got teammates who deliver the ball, and I always give them credit. I wouldn't be able to do it myself," he added.
Utah Jazz long-term plans
Despite the Finnish player having reached his peak, the Jazz don't appear to be ready to reach new heights that match a superstar's sky-high ambitions.
The once All-Star doesn't know yet what playing a playoff game feels like with the postseason out of reach in Utah one more year.
The Jazz sit 13th in the West with a 15-35 record overall, seeing the 10th and final play-in berth, as the Blazers hold a 23-27 mark.
Utah has shown glimpses of potential this season, but it remains unclear whether it will take the necessary step forward in the near future.
"We don't look too much ahead, to be honest," Markkanen said.
"I think we've got talented guys on this team, and everybody is working to get better. I think we've got to get a little bit more disciplined in executing our game plan and stuff. I don't know the timeline, but we're all working towards it as fast as we can. We're just putting the work in every day and trying to speed the process up, that's all we can focus on," the Finnish player explained.
Credit AP/Scanpix nuotr.
Utah decided to take a different direction in the 2022 summer, trading Rudy Gobert to Minnesota and Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland in a deal that brought in Lauri Markkanen.
Even though the Jazz have not made the playoffs since 2022, the franchise based in Salt Lake City is seemingly in a good position in terms of talent and salary cap.
Utah has a bunch of promising young players, such as Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, and Isaiah Collier, and the second-lowest payroll at $147 million.
The Jazz defined the cornerstone they wanted to build around in 2024, when Lauri Markkanen signed a five-year, $238 million extension amidst speculation of a possible move to the Warriors.
Markkanen Gets Honest About the Trade Deadline
While the power forward appears to be untouchable ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, Markkanen didn't make any assertion when asked whether he sees himself in Utah for many more years.
"As I said about us getting better, it's the same thing with this. We go day by day and put the work in. Obviously, I know the business of the NBA; I've been traded twice, basically. You kinda know it can happen, I've lost many teammates to other teams at the trade deadline throughout my career," the Finnish star said.
"You know the business of the NBA, but you try to do everything you can for the team and for yourself, keep getting better, and then control what you can control. I know it's tough for some of the guys, but no matter where you play, you want to play your best basketball, so that's what you want to focus on," Markkanen concluded.
When You're Too Good For Your Own Team…
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