When Lauri Markkanen's name showed up in headlines over the course of last season, it was for all the wrong reasons. Over the past few weeks, he's been the talk of the town from his dominant EuroBasket play. In so doing, national writers are recognizing why he's so good, which coincidentally is something Utah Jazz fans know already: how good he is at attacking off the ball.
Denver Nuggets writer Adam Mares delved into this while talking with Tim Legler during the "All NBA Podcast" yesterday.
"He is a guy who is very good moving off ball, catch it, cut, do different things, but he's not maybe a guy you just want to straight iso all the time. But what he is is he can attack off of movement. So you don't give it to him, everybody stand around, but when the ball swings to him, he's very dynamic, quickly going and attacking," Mares said.
While everyone knows how good Markkanen is when he has nothing holding him back, because the Jazz haven't been a playoff team since he blossomed, not many know why he is as good as he is. But Jazz fans have watched Markkanen for the last three seasons, so they know full well why he can score at an All-Star level.
Markkanen may not necessarily be a LeBron James or Kevin Durant, but it's observations like these that show why he's not only a star, but a unique one. They also show why the Jazz (along with their fans) have no intentions of trading him unless something changes.
The idea Markkanen scenario for Utah is for him to lead their next playoff team (however long that takes)
While it can be hard to see Markkanen waste his prime playing for a rebuilding team, his unique skillset could be a massive difference maker if and when Utah returns to the playoffs should he be on the team.
Markkanen has never made the playoffs in his NBA career. One would question what that says about him, but he began his career with the wrong team on the Bulls, was then featured on a promising Cavaliers team before the Donovan Mitchell trade, and now he's on a team that has progressively gotten younger each season he's played for the Jazz.
It may be a while before Utah makes the playoffs again, but Markkanen must have known that was a possibility when he signed that massive extension back in 2024. He also likely did so still believing in Utah's long-term vision. The fact that Utah didn't hesitate to keep him long-term also signals their faith in what he can do when the postseason becomes a possibility again.