Lauri Markkanen

Lauri Markkanen
Player information
birthday	22nd May 1997 (age 23)
place of birth	Vantaa , Finland
size	213 cm
position	Power Forward / Center
college	Arizona
NBA draft	2017 , 7th pick , Minnesota Timberwolves
Club information
society	Chicago Bulls
league	NBA
Jersey number	24
Clubs as active
Chicago Bulls since 02017
National team 1
Since 02015	Finland	16
1 As of September 2, 2017

Lauri Elias Markkanen (born May 22, 1997 in Vantaa , Finland ) is a Finnish basketball player who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls in the US professional league NBA . In the 2017 NBA draft , he was selected seventh by the Minnesota Timberwolves and then given to the Bulls.

career

Start time

Markkanen, whose mother Riikka and father Pekka (he played among other things in the 1995-1996 season for TSK uniVersa Bamberg in the basketball league ) were Finnish national basketball players, played for BC Jyväskylä in the youth and in the men's team in the Finnish second division . Between 2014 and 2016 he wore the jersey of HBA-Märsky , a basketball academy in the capital Helsinki . In the 2015/16 season, Markkanen scored an average of 21.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for HBA in the second division.

For the 2016/17 season he went to the United States and played for the University of Arizona team . In his freshman season in the USA, Markkanen stood out as the second best thrower of the “Wildcats” and statistically scored 15.6 points per game. He led his team in terms of rebounds (7.2 per game) and three-point throws hit (69 in 163 attempts).

Shortly after the end of the 2016/17 season, Markkanen announced his decision to no longer play at college level, but as a professional and to register for the 2017 NBA draft .

NBA

Markkanen was selected in seventh place in the draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves , but was given to them on the basis of a previously made agreement with the Chicago Bulls . His first year as a professional for the Bulls went extremely well. In 68 games this season he had averages of 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and hit 36.2% of his three-point throws . The Bulls did not qualify for the playoffs , but Markkanen was called to the NBA All-Rookie First Team .

In the 2018/19 game year , the Finn suffered health setbacks: An elbow injury forced him to play the role of spectator in the first 23 games of the season , Markkanen was replaced in an away game in Toronto at the end of March 2019 and examined in a hospital after the game, where he spent the night had to. An increased heartbeat and symptoms of fatigue were noted. Further medical examinations in Chicago did not reveal any abnormalities, but the Finn was taken out of the game until the end of the season.

National team

Markkanen took part in the B-EM 2013 with Finland's national team in the U16 age range, and further tournaments were added in the following years: the U18-B-EM 2014, the U18-EM 2015 (here he was the best point collector among all participating players) and the U20 European Championship 2016, after which he was named the best winger of the tournament by the internet service eurobasket.com .

At the 2017 European Championships , he was the best thrower of the Finnish national team with an average of 19.5 points per match .

Style of play

One of Markkanens most important strengths in attack is the throw from beyond the three-point line , the Finn has the ability to “process” the ball within a very short time after catching it and to climb up to the throw. In his first years in the NBA, he had a hit rate for throws close to the basket that was clearly in need of improvement. The Finn is a strong rebounder , but has weaknesses in defense.

With regard to Markkanens character, the Finnish national coach and former German national coach Henrik Dettmann said in 2019: "The way he behaves, how he plays and how he treats his teammates, it reminds me of Nowitzki, even if I don't like to compare people with one another. Nevertheless, he has similar traits as Dirk and that's why the people here love him. "

Others

Markkanen is the brother of the soccer player Eero Markkanen .

Web links

Commons : Lauri Markkanen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Lauri Markkanen - player profile on NBA.com
• Lauri Markkanen - player profile on basketball-reference.com
• Profile on arizonawildcats.com

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Brian Hamilton: Finnish star Lauri Markkanen feels at home in Arizona . In: SI.com . ( si.com [accessed May 27, 2017]).
2. ↑ Markkaset jatkavat BC Jyväskylässä - Suomen Koripalloliitto ry. Retrieved May 27, 2017 (Finnish). 
3. ↑ Suomen Koripalloliitto ry. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on October 26, 2017 ; accessed on May 27, 2017 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ^ NCAA Statistics. Retrieved May 27, 2017 . 
5. ↑ Lauri Markkanen to leave Arizona, declares for the 2017 NBA Draft . In: Arizona Sports . March 30, 2017 ( arizonasports.com [accessed May 27, 2017]).
6. ↑ Hunter Felt: NBA draft: blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade makes Wolves the big winners . In: The Guardian . June 23, 2017, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed June 23, 2017]).
7. ↑ http://www.nba.com/players/lauri/markkanen/1628374
8. ↑ Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen to miss rest of season due to 'extreme fatigue'. In: sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved April 25, 2019 (American English). 
9. ↑ Official release: Lauri Markkanen (extreme fatigue) out for remainder of season. In: nba.com. Retrieved April 25, 2019 . 
10. ↑ Lauri Markkanen profile, FIBA ​​U20 European Championship 2016 | FIBA.COM . In: FIBA.COM . ( fiba.com [accessed on May 27, 2017]).
11. ↑ European Championships U20 Basketball, Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Standings - eurobasket . In: www.eurobasket.com . ( eurobasket.com [accessed May 27, 2017]).
12. ↑ http://www.fiba.basketball/eurobasket/2017/Finland
13. ↑ Chicago Bulls: Lauri Markkanen's biggest strength and biggest weakness. In: Pippen Ain't Easy. Retrieved April 23, 2018, December 11, 2019 (American English). 
14. ↑ Bulls player preview: Sky's the limit for Markkanen. In: nbcsports.com. September 4, 2019, accessed December 11, 2019 . 
15. ↑ NBA: The Bumpy Start of Lauri Markkanen and the Chicago Bulls - A Franchise Star Only on Paper. In: spox.com. Retrieved December 11, 2019 . 
16. ↑ Lauri Markkanen makes Finnish basketball history as 7th pick in NBA draft. yle.fi, June 23, 2017, accessed August 4, 2017 .