Lauri Markkanen is in scorching form ahead of EuroBasket 2025, dropping 48 and 31 points in back-to-back wins over Belgium.
Utah Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen is making it crystal clear: he’s ready to put on a show at EuroBasket 2025. In just two friendly games, the Finnish superstar has produced one of the most dominant stretches of his national team career.
Lauri Markkanen
Lauri Markkanen
Position: PF, C
Age: 28
Height: 213 cm
Weight: 116 kg
Birth place: Finland
It all began with a jaw-dropping performance against Belgium in his first preparation game. Markkanen exploded for a national team career-high 48 points in a 105-62 blowout, going 17/24 from the field, 7/13 from beyond the arc, and adding 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block— all in just 25 minutes.
If Belgium thought the worst was over, they were wrong. In the rematch, Finland again stormed to victory, this time 92-74, with Markkanen once more at the center of it all. He poured in 31 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and swiped 2 steals, earning a PIR of 39.
His back-to-back offensive masterclasses have sparked early excitement in Tampere, where Finland will host Group B games this summer.
Head coach LassiTuovi’s squad looks sharp ahead of the tournament, which will run from August 27 to September 14 across four host nations: Cyprus, Finland, Poland, and Latvia. Finland’s Group B opponents — Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania, Montenegro, and Sweden — now have every reason to keep Markkanen circled in red ink on their scouting reports.
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