The 2018 NBA Manifesto
Lauri Markkanen
PF – 7’0, 230lbs - 21 years old – 1 year of experience
Notwithstanding the fact that he seemed to be a bit ground down by the end of it – considering he started the summer with an impressive leadership role for Finland in EuroBasket and has never played nearly this many minutes in any season before – Markkanen had a strong rookie campaign that hinted at a versatile future.
An elite shooter, he may go on to be. Will go on to be, even. But an elite shooter, he is not merely. Markkanen can post up, drive a couple of straight-line dribbles, finish unconventional shots, and has shown plenty of reason to believe he will become an all-around offensive weapon.
Markkanen cuts and pops smartly, does not back down from his defenders, and nor does he back down from those he is defending. Developments in his ball-handling, post counters and defensive positioning – he makes pretty good plays on the ball but is not always in the right place to do so – could see him become quite the modern day NBA weapon.
A bit shot happy at times (justified by the fact that he should take the opportunity during a blatant tank to try out the Main Guy Mentality) and lacking in strength and stamina at the moment (nothing a couple of seasons of NBA strength coaching cannot fix), Markkanen looked good in his rookie campaign. One of the future frontcourt pieces is in position already.
Player Plan: Three seasons of rookie scale salary remaining. Keep it right here.
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PF – 7’0, 230lbs - 21 years old – 1 year of experience
Notwithstanding the fact that he seemed to be a bit ground down by the end of it – considering he started the summer with an impressive leadership role for Finland in EuroBasket and has never played nearly this many minutes in any season before – Markkanen had a strong rookie campaign that hinted at a versatile future.
An elite shooter, he may go on to be. Will go on to be, even. But an elite shooter, he is not merely. Markkanen can post up, drive a couple of straight-line dribbles, finish unconventional shots, and has shown plenty of reason to believe he will become an all-around offensive weapon.
Markkanen cuts and pops smartly, does not back down from his defenders, and nor does he back down from those he is defending. Developments in his ball-handling, post counters and defensive positioning – he makes pretty good plays on the ball but is not always in the right place to do so – could see him become quite the modern day NBA weapon.
A bit shot happy at times (justified by the fact that he should take the opportunity during a blatant tank to try out the Main Guy Mentality) and lacking in strength and stamina at the moment (nothing a couple of seasons of NBA strength coaching cannot fix), Markkanen looked good in his rookie campaign. One of the future frontcourt pieces is in position already.
Player Plan: Three seasons of rookie scale salary remaining. Keep it right here.