Finnish basketball player Lauri Markkanen has been the Utah Jazz’s best player when a good third of the season has been played. Markkanen has finally charmed American NBA followers as well.
In the NBA, the ball is played into the hands of the team’s star player repeatedly in the deciding moments of the matches. This is not the case with Markkanen. Especially in the final quarters of even matches, Markkanen’s long periods without the ball are surprising.
– It would be desirable if Lauri would throw more. He could even afford to lower his efficiency a bit, and he would still be an effective player, the former captain of the Finnish men’s national basketball team Shawn Huff stress.
Finnish time, on the night before Friday, two-part decisive moments of the match were seen. Markkanen was great against New Orleans in the final quarter. The Finn wanted and got the ball, drove to the basket aggressively, got to the free throw line and made long throws.
In overtime, Markkanen didn’t have a single chance shot. Utah quarterback Jordan Clarkson shot six times in overtime, but at least half of the attempts looked forced and difficult. Markkanen was almost completely without contact with the ball as a screener or as a “throwing threat” standing in the corner. Utah won 132–129, but overtime was painful.
Markkanen throws 15.1 game situation throws per match. In Utah, only tailback Clarkson throws more, averaging 16.9 times. Markkanen’s field goal percentage is 52.7. Clarkson’s percentage is 43.6.
In the final quarters, Markkanen’s number of shots in game situations is on average clearly lower than other quarters, only 3.0 attempts per quarter. For example, Clarkson’s corresponding reading is 4.6.
– The league already knows how effective Lauri is, so he will be caught tightly at the end of the games. Therefore, playing the shooting positions can be difficult for him, says Huff, who currently works as an NBA commentator and expert.
This alone does not explain the situation.
The back man’s injury was reflected in Markkasen
In the NBA, late game play is almost always focused on one-on-one attacking. The player with the ball tries to beat his opponent and create a basket attempt. Static playing does not, at least not yet, support Markkanen’s strengths.
– Lauri can create a shot with the ball himself, but he needs a “popular” defender. He can’t do that against every player yet, but requires movement and game management in attack, Huff analyzed.
Utah lacked game management when the quarterback Mike Conley was sidelined for almost three weeks due to injury. This season, the team has lost seven games and won four when Conley has been sidelined. Conley has 13 wins and seven losses.
– Conley is a game-calming quarterback. He has the skill to look for other players, while the other backs are more one-on-one players than Conley and are better at solving with their own throw, Huff opens.
Markkanen opened up about Conley’s importance to the former NBA player JJ Redick in a podcast interview earlier in December when Conley was injured.
– He gets the players organized in the right places, which has also limited our turnovers. Our use of space has not been as good without Conley. He helps a lot on the offensive end, which is why we don’t have so many problems on the defensive end, analyzed Markkanen, who was sidelined for three games in December.
Markkanen convinces with its versatility
According to Huff, teams defend more tightly in the final quarters than at the beginning of the game, and the game often becomes static. Markkanen gets to use his versatility best when the ball and players are moving in attack.
– It’s not like I do everything from my own transportation. I wouldn’t say, at least not yet, that my greatest strength is coming with the ball from the screen set for me and solving, Markkanen described his playing in a podcast interview.
Huff explains that Markkanen’s versatility can be seen in the way he is able to attack smaller and bigger defenders. At its best, Utah has been able to feed Markkas in a timely manner, allowing him to punish the defensive player.
According to the data used by the NBA, in one-on-one situations, Markkanen’s points per possession reading of 1.20 is the ninth best in the entire league. Markkanes doesn’t have these situations as often as the league’s superstars, but he is extremely effective in them.
Nowadays, the Finn finishes skillfully and strongly from near the basket, but also three-point shots have been hit with more than 40 percent accuracy.
– Versatility makes Lauri an excellent player. However, apart from throwing, he does not have an elite level specialist skill. There are very few players like that in the whole world, Huff reflects on Markkanen’s qualities.
Among Utah’s players, for example, fullbacks Clarkson and Collin Sexton from a static situation, they are good at beating their own defender and trying to score in different ways. They are not pitchers like Conley.
Markkanen’s efficiency is exceptional
Markkanen has been the number one name on Utah’s offense this season, according to a reporter from the Salt Lake Tribune Eric Walden described to in November.
However, the Finn’s usage rate, i.e. the so-called usage percentage, in the attack is low compared to the power, only 23.3. The league’s highest usage percentage of 37.7 is the Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Clarkson’s equivalent is 26.4.
– Lauri’s usage percentage is really low, and among such players he is one of the most efficient and the most points-producing players, Huff says.
In the final quarters, Markkanen’s usage percentage is the lowest in the entire league (20.1), when players who have played 15 games or more with an average of at least 22 points per game are taken into account.
In light of the statistics, Utah should try to play the ball more to Markkanen in the final quarters. Of those who have played at least 15 games with as few shot attempts, only four players in the entire league have averaged the same or more points than Markkanen when talking about the final quarters.
– Lauri is a cold-tempered guy and the kind of player who wants last-minute solutions, Huff, who played with Markkanen in the European Championships in early autumn, describes the character of his former teammate.
Will the trend change in the final season?
Huff believes Utah’s team game will improve, as the group assembled in the summer has only played together for a little over two months. He trusts that Lauri’s throwing numbers will increase.
– Utah has a good coach and Conley will help the game a lot. I think Conley’s return will benefit Lauri the most. In the attack, Lauri will be used more than seen, Huff predicts.
As the team game develops, Markkanen would be able to utilize his long-range shooting and attack his favorite defenders even more in the final quarters.
According to Huff, a touch of selfishness in Markkanen’s play would help Utah win.
– He could afford to be more selfish, which would actually help this team. It would be a selfless act for the team if Lauri were more selfish.
Compared to Finnish ball leagues, there is an exceptionally large amount of data about the NBA. Several so-called more advanced statistics are poorly translated into Finnish, so they can be difficult to understand.
The points per ball possession reading aims to determine how many points a player scores for each ball possession. Possession of the ball must end either with his shot attempt, free throws, or loss of the ball.
Usage percentage is used to measure how much of the team’s ball control has ended with a player’s shot attempt, free throw or losing the ball while he is on the field.