Last season, as Utah stumbled to yet another lottery finish, Jazz officials acknowledged the toll the losing had taken on Lauri Markkanen. Ever since a breakout 2022–23 season—one highlighted by Markkanen’s first All-Star appearance and capped by being named the NBA’s Most Improved Player—Markkanen’s production had incrementally declined. His scoring average dipped a couple of points in ’23–24. His shooting percentages plummeted in ’24–25. As did Utah’s win totals, from 37 to 31 to 17 last season. Privately, the Jazz coaching staff understood—Markkanen was having a hard time finding motivation in meaningless games.
For Markkanen, last season was difficult. “It was frustrating,” said Markkanen on his way to the team bus after a narrow win in Boston on Monday. “Not a situation you want to be in.” The Jazz were across-the-board bad last season. An NBA-worst 30th in defensive rating. Offensively (24th) not much better. Only the Pelicans and Wizards had worse point differentials. For all practical purposes Utah’s season was over by Christmas. “I think he did a good job of remaining positive through it,” says Jazz coach Will Hardy, “but his play definitely struggled.”
Utah is 3–5 to start the season. Two of those losses have been by a combined three points. No one is printing Jazz playoff T-shirts but there is noticeable fight in this young roster. Including Markkanen. Through eight games, Markkanen is averaging 30.4 points. His 243 total points is the most by a Utah player to start the season since Karl Malone. Two players are averaging at least 30 points and six rebounds this season. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one. Markkanen is the other.
Asked about this revival, Markkanen notes a few things. There are the tweaks to his role in the offense. More variety, he says. He’s been off the ball more, a position he is comfortable in. “I like to be on the move and read the game that way,” says Markkanen. Notably, the Jazz have moved away from a pick-and-roll heavy offense to one that features more cutting and dribble handoffs.
His conditioning is better. Markkanen supplemented basketball workouts with sports like tennis and hockey. So, too, is his ability to play through contact. “I think he’s doing a way better job of playing through the first bump,” says Hardy. “And it’s gotten him a better whistle. If you just give in on the first bump, you’re a little bit at the mercy of the officials.” Indeed, Markkanen’s free throw attempts this season (7.4 per game) are a career best.
If workouts revived his body, EuroBasket refueled his spirit. Markkanen was outstanding on the European summer circuit. He scored 28 points against Sweden. Another 43 against Great Britain. He had 29 against Serbia, leading Finland over the Nikola Jokić–led Serbs. The Finns’ semifinal finish was the nation’s deepest run in EuroBasket history.
Weeks later, Markkanen still smiles at the memory. “That definitely fueled the fire,” says Markkanen. “It just felt good to be in a winning situation. That gave me motivation too, to see that I’m able to lead the group. And so, I came in feeling really good about this year as well. And so hopefully we can keep going.”
The Jazz roster has holes. Walker Kessler’s season-ending injury created a big one. But there is talent. Keyonte George, who dropped 31 points on a still-decent Boston defense, is averaging career highs in scoring (22.6 points) and assists (7.9). Svi Mykhailiuk is a solid three-point shooter. Brice Sensabaugh, Kyle Filipowski and Taylor Hendricks have shown potential. Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr., Utah’s top two picks in last June’s draft, will continue to improve. Markkanen is an ideal star to lead them, says Hardy, “because he can play with anyone.”
“He can truly play any style,” says Hardy. “He can play with anybody there. You could name any All-Star player, and I would say Lauri could play with them. Because he doesn’t dribble too much, because he’s not really an iso player, because he’s not a pick-and-roll ball handler who needs X number of screens a night. It’s nice having somebody who’s that caliber player who doesn’t necessarily dictate your style. There are certain players that dictate the style you kind of have to play. Lauri gives us a lot of flexibility. It’s a real luxury as a coach and it would appear that that would be a luxury from a team-building standpoint.”
That ability to play with anyone is certainly something other teams are aware of, too. Markkanen’s future with the Jazz has long been a subject of speculation. In 2024, talks between Utah and Golden State—very public talks—got pretty close. When they collapsed, Markkanen signed a five-year, $238 million extension that, because of the timing of it, made him untradeable last season. That restriction is gone, and with the Jazz rebuilding behind a teenager (Bailey) and a group of 20-somethings (everyone else), it’s reasonable for anyone to wonder how Markkanen, 28, fits in.
Markkanen says he has not had a conversation with Utah’s front office about his long-term future. Austin Ainge, the Jazz’s new president of basketball operations, has said he is a “huge fan” of Markkanen and believes Markkanen can be part of Utah’s eventual success. Markkanen says he has had a few conversations with Ainge but “just to pick his brain” on basketball. “When I came back from Europe,” says Markkanen, “I feel like we got right back to work.” As for his future with the team, Markkanen says, “We try to go day by day.”
Hopefully competitive ones. Utah is under no illusions that it will compete with the best in a loaded Western Conference. “We’re going to have to win ugly, we’re going to have to win close, we’re going to have to have a lot of people have moments for us to win,” says Hardy. Wins over the Clippers, Suns and Celtics offer a blueprint. There will be a talent gap between the Jazz and many of their opponents. A motivated Markkanen, though, will go a long way to help close it.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Inside Lauri Markkanen’s Revival and What It Means for the Jazz Rebuild.
