Is Lauri Markannen a burrito full of skills or a one trick pony?

[WindyCityBorn]

He played a little better tonight, but even Felicio looked better. Still not the same player he was a few weeks ago. Not even close. I saw a few flashes though.

[Axolotl]

Finnish PBS Yle has a story on Markkanen again, in finnish: https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-10695912

You all know the stats and the ups and downs, so I'll just translate the quotes. Nothing deep in them, though.

He says he can play much better than he has lately.

- Shooting feels the same as before. Sometimes in the season there are stretches when the ball just does not seem to go in the hoop, but that's just a part of the game. You just have to work hard and come over it, Markkanen says.

Markkanen tells Yle that he feels he has been going in the right direction physically.

- Start of the season was rough because of the injury, but right now I'm feeling really good physically. I'm in better shape than I was last year, he says.

- 50 games is a lot. Not a full season, but much more than in college. I just hope that there are no setbacks during the rest of the season.

There are also a few comments from LaVine and Boylen:

- He is a 7-footer who can stretch the floor. He can shoot, he can drive. We need to get him into the game better, says LaVine, pointing to the fact that Markkanen has been shooting less now than he did february.

- This is just our second year playing together, I was injured most last season, and Lauri was out at the beginning of this season. We are still learning to play together. When it clicks, sky is the limit, LaVine says.

- He is just 21 years old. He is a young, developing player, who had an unbelievable february. He plays hard every night, he communicates well with his teammates and always does some extra practices. I'm not worried at all about him, says Jim Boylen.

[ZOMG]

Lauri always says the same crap in these interviews. I'm particularly not crazy about the fact that he always seems to think his problems can be fixed by "working hard", whatever that means. I hope it's not just taking 3000 threes in practice. Sometimes you actually have to change things.

- 50 games is a lot. Not a full season, but much more than in college. I just hope that there are no setbacks during the rest of the season.

He can't seriously be complaining about 50 games at age 21. I mean... I haven't been one of the people worried about his conditoning - especially because he moves a LOT on the court compared to your average big - but come on now... if you can't play 50 games without getting exhausted after basically getting 8 MONTHS off NBA basketball, there might be something wrong.

To me, it's always been clear that Lauri is a low motor guy. It's just who he is. As I said above, it's not that he doesn't move around a lot - he does if the offensive and/or defensive schemes call for it... he's a team player. But he should pick his spots a bit more. As it is, he does a lot of invisible work out there that doesn't really have any effect other than tiring him out.

All NBA players need to learn when to save energy, so you can have a burst of strength or speed at your disposal when needed. Lauri's chugging along at a stedy pace all the time and it's hurting him.

[WindyCityBorn]

Lauri always says the same crap in these interviews. I'm particularly not crazy about the fact that he always seems to think his problems can be fixed by "working hard", whatever that means. I hope it's not just taking 3000 threes in practice. Sometimes you actually have to change things.

- 50 games is a lot. Not a full season, but much more than in college. I just hope that there are no setbacks during the rest of the season.

He can't seriously be complaining about 50 games at age 21. I mean... I haven't been one of the people worried about his conditoning - especially because he moves a LOT on the court compared to your average big - but come on now... if you can't play 50 games without getting exhausted after basically getting 8 MONTHS off NBA basketball, there might be something wrong.

To me, it's always been clear that Lauri is a low motor guy. It's just who he is. As I said above, it's not that he doesn't move around a lot - he does if the offensive and/or defensive schemes call for it... he's a team player. But he should pick his spots a bit more. As it is, he does a lot of invisible work out there that doesn't really have any effect other than tiring him out.

All NBA players need to learn when to save energy, so you can have a burst of strength or speed at your disposal when needed. Lauri's chugging along at a stedy pace all the time and it's hurting him.

Could be mental exhaustion? He doesn't seem as dialed in to me. Maybe he is just ready for the season to be over...not saying that is acceptable reason to mail it in, but it could be possible. It's definitely more than just his shot being off. He has shown he is capable of very strong performances even when his 3s are off.

[sco]

Personally, I think he doesn't like playing minutes at C. A lot of guys don't like it - notable AD and KG.

I am still firmly in the camp that Lauri shouldn't see any minutes at C...if not at PF, he is better suited to be a SF than a C.

It's also, why if we land Zion, I think we can play Zion at C next to Lauri and be fine. In fact I could see stretches of Lauri, Zion and WCJ as the front court and be totally fine on both ends given their skill-sets.

[jnrjr79]

Lauri always says the same crap in these interviews. I'm particularly not crazy about the fact that he always seems to think his problems can be fixed by "working hard", whatever that means. I hope it's not just taking 3000 threes in practice. Sometimes you actually have to change things.

You see a lot of takes these days, but it's genuinely surprising to see someone oppose a player proposing hard work as a means to improvement.

Are there notable paths to significant improvement that do not involve hard work?

[kodo]

Lauri has slowed himself down since Feb where he was top 10 in distance ran per game, but he's still quite high. Post ASB 2.43 miles per game which is too close to Giannis at 2.46 miles per game. Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis run significantly less at 2.30 even though they are athletic freaks. Young bigs like Deandre Ayton runs 2.17, Bagley runs 1.9 and he's playing well into the late season.

I don't find his low energy level surprising.

Yes he only played part of the season but re-conditioning after losing it all after surgery is work. Rehab is work. I was reading about a non-Bulls player's rehab schedule post knee surgery and it was 30 hours per week before he got to practice basketball.

He's also not getting set up like other bigs, which is surprising given he's at heart a stretch PF. Markkanen is 53% assisted on 2s, and one of the least assisted of the very young 7 footers around the league. Ayton is 71%, KAT is 59%, Turner 78%, Porzingis 65% last year. He's just not getting much assist help from this team.

When it comes down to it, this team still has a lot of problems. Zach is just more immune to it because he can and will create for himself and can insulate himself from the lack of quality teamwork. Even though he just joined the team, Lauri's best 2 man combination is with Otto Porter. After that, Robin & Arci. With Dunn he scores -5.6 points per 100.

The TLDR is I think Lauri's consistency problems will be solved when we solve the entire team's consistency problems.

[PaKii94]

Lauri has slowed himself down since Feb where he was top 10 in distance ran per game, but he's still quite high. Post ASB 2.43 miles per game which is too close to Giannis at 2.46 miles per game. Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis run significantly less at 2.30 even though they are athletic freaks. Young bigs like Deandre Ayton runs 2.17, Bagley runs 1.9 and he's playing well into the late season.

I don't find his low energy level surprising.

Yes he only played part of the season but re-conditioning after losing it all after surgery is work. Rehab is work. I was reading about a non-Bulls player's rehab schedule post knee surgery and it was 30 hours per week before he got to practice basketball.

He's also not getting set up like other bigs, which is surprising given he's at heart a stretch PF. Markkanen is 53% assisted on 2s, and one of the least assisted of the very young 7 footers around the league. Ayton is 71%, KAT is 59%, Turner 78%, Porzingis 65% last year. He's just not getting much assist help from this team.

When it comes down to it, this team still has a lot of problems. Zach is just more immune to it because he can and will create for himself and can insulate himself from the lack of quality teamwork. Even though he just joined the team, Lauri's best 2 man combination is with Otto Porter. After that, Robin & Arci. With Dunn he scores -5.6 points per 100.

The TLDR is I think Lauri's consistency problems will be solved when we solve the entire team's consistency problems.

I like that you mentioned the bolded. A lot of people don't factor that in when evaluating Lauri's game. He's being assisted MUCH less compared to other elite bigs. John Collins who people are fawning over his efficiency is assisted on 72%(!) of his buckets. I wonder how much his offense & consistency would improve if we had a PG like Trae feeding him easy buckets. We notice him struggling to create offense himself but that should be expected from a young big who is learning on the fly.

This is good development minutes for him. I'd much rather he struggle right now during a tanking season so he's much more comfortable later on when we're pushing for the playoffs.

There are 10 games in the season. I'm hoping he finishes strong.

[WindyCityBorn]

Lauri has slowed himself down since Feb where he was top 10 in distance ran per game, but he's still quite high. Post ASB 2.43 miles per game which is too close to Giannis at 2.46 miles per game. Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis run significantly less at 2.30 even though they are athletic freaks. Young bigs like Deandre Ayton runs 2.17, Bagley runs 1.9 and he's playing well into the late season.

I don't find his low energy level surprising.

Yes he only played part of the season but re-conditioning after losing it all after surgery is work. Rehab is work. I was reading about a non-Bulls player's rehab schedule post knee surgery and it was 30 hours per week before he got to practice basketball.

He's also not getting set up like other bigs, which is surprising given he's at heart a stretch PF. Markkanen is 53% assisted on 2s, and one of the least assisted of the very young 7 footers around the league. Ayton is 71%, KAT is 59%, Turner 78%, Porzingis 65% last year. He's just not getting much assist help from this team.

When it comes down to it, this team still has a lot of problems. Zach is just more immune to it because he can and will create for himself and can insulate himself from the lack of quality teamwork. Even though he just joined the team, Lauri's best 2 man combination is with Otto Porter. After that, Robin & Arci. With Dunn he scores -5.6 points per 100.

The TLDR is I think Lauri's consistency problems will be solved when we solve the entire team's consistency problems.

Most great PFs played with a very good to great PG. Obviously we are missing that.

[ZOMG]

Lauri has slowed himself down since Feb where he was top 10 in distance ran per game, but he's still quite high. Post ASB 2.43 miles per game which is too close to Giannis at 2.46 miles per game. Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis run significantly less at 2.30 even though they are athletic freaks. Young bigs like Deandre Ayton runs 2.17, Bagley runs 1.9 and he's playing well into the late season.

I don't find his low energy level surprising.

Yes he only played part of the season but re-conditioning after losing it all after surgery is work. Rehab is work. I was reading about a non-Bulls player's rehab schedule post knee surgery and it was 30 hours per week before he got to practice basketball.

He's also not getting set up like other bigs, which is surprising given he's at heart a stretch PF. Markkanen is 53% assisted on 2s, and one of the least assisted of the very young 7 footers around the league. Ayton is 71%, KAT is 59%, Turner 78%, Porzingis 65% last year. He's just not getting much assist help from this team.

When it comes down to it, this team still has a lot of problems. Zach is just more immune to it because he can and will create for himself and can insulate himself from the lack of quality teamwork. Even though he just joined the team, Lauri's best 2 man combination is with Otto Porter. After that, Robin & Arci. With Dunn he scores -5.6 points per 100.

The TLDR is I think Lauri's consistency problems will be solved when we solve the entire team's consistency problems.

I like that you mentioned the bolded. A lot of people don't factor that in when evaluating Lauri's game. He's being assisted MUCH less compared to other elite bigs. John Collins who people are fawning over his efficiency is assisted on 72%(!) of his buckets. I wonder how much his offense & consistency would improve if we had a PG like Trae feeding him easy buckets. We notice him struggling to create offense himself but that should be expected from a young big who is learning on the fly.

This is good development minutes for him. I'd much rather he struggle right now during a tanking season so he's much more comfortable later on when we're pushing for the playoffs.

There are 10 games in the season. I'm hoping he finishes strong.

That was an excellent post by kodo. Unfortunately, at this point I don't really share the view that not being individually set up is one of the man factors behind Lauri's problems.

Markkanen has started to hang out passively at the perimeter again since the ball movement has completely dried up and RoLo is being force-fed the ball for slow post ups, clogging the middle in the process. Now, Lauri has had a LOT of wide open looks from three lately - he just isn't making anything.

Lauri is not a 5 so it's no wonder he's not being set up near the basket like some of those other guys, particularly now that we're back to slow-it-down BoyBall. RoLo doesn't venture anywhere outside the key, so Markkanen doesn't have many chances to be on the receiving end of LaVine's drive-and-dish attacks. Lopez is his target.

The way to increase Lauri's assisted-FG's % is to increase the pace and ball movement. It works for other players too. But I've basically given up hope of that happening this season.

Hopefully next season we'll have a new coach and a new PG.

[sco]

speaking of burritos - saw this today:

https://www.gq.com/story/lauri-markkanen-real-life-diet

Obviously, there are better foods available when you get to the professional level, but now you also have to eat more to get stronger. How did you go about gaining 20 pounds last summer?

During the beginning of the summer, I wasn’t running much. I was lifting weights, and eating a lot. And the meals were bigger. Instead of having a snack at night, I would eat a full meal. I was never hungry. I was eating even when I was full. There were times where I didn’t feel like eating, but I knew that that's what was best for my body.

Right now, I’m down on my weight because our schedule is tough. That’s one thing I have to work on, especially for next year, because I think I’m going to put on a little weight this summer as well. I have to maintain my diet to keep the weight up during the season, so I don’t have to repeat this process every summer.

It seems like you’re moving better this season, even though you’re bigger than you were last season.

The funny thing is that I feel lighter. Even playing at 15 pounds heavier, it’s mostly on my legs, and I’m still running. I was at 240 to start the season. I’m at 235 now, which is better than 222, which is how I ended last season. Like I say, it can be hard to maintain weight with our schedule. I don’t have a chef because my wife and I like to cook, but I’m going to have to consider that for next year.

[ZOMG]

speaking of burritos - saw this today:

https://www.gq.com/story/lauri-markkanen-real-life-diet

Obviously, there are better foods available when you get to the professional level, but now you also have to eat more to get stronger. How did you go about gaining 20 pounds last summer?

During the beginning of the summer, I wasn’t running much. I was lifting weights, and eating a lot. And the meals were bigger. Instead of having a snack at night, I would eat a full meal. I was never hungry. I was eating even when I was full. There were times where I didn’t feel like eating, but I knew that that's what was best for my body.

Right now, I’m down on my weight because our schedule is tough. That’s one thing I have to work on, especially for next year, because I think I’m going to put on a little weight this summer as well. I have to maintain my diet to keep the weight up during the season, so I don’t have to repeat this process every summer.

It seems like you’re moving better this season, even though you’re bigger than you were last season.

The funny thing is that I feel lighter. Even playing at 15 pounds heavier, it’s mostly on my legs, and I’m still running. I was at 240 to start the season. I’m at 235 now, which is better than 222, which is how I ended last season. Like I say, it can be hard to maintain weight with our schedule. I don’t have a chef because my wife and I like to cook, but I’m going to have to consider that for next year.

Ugh.

Why does he do this? He was noticeably less explosive, slower and clunkier this season. I don't care if he "feels" lighter, he doesn't look that way.

People were saying after last season that a bulkier Lauri would be more effective under the basket. I thought it was a horrible idea, and it turned out I was 100% right. The bulkier Lauri was LESS effective - he still had the inadequate length, but now he couldn't jump as fast or as high. It's not a coincidence he had trouble ending his drives with dunks all season. He had to resort to timid layups and those drag step, fadeaway one-leggers.

For the life of me I don't understand why the Bulls don't simply tell him to stop bulking up. It's like they don't care what he does.

[sco]

speaking of burritos - saw this today:

https://www.gq.com/story/lauri-markkanen-real-life-diet

Obviously, there are better foods available when you get to the professional level, but now you also have to eat more to get stronger. How did you go about gaining 20 pounds last summer?

During the beginning of the summer, I wasn’t running much. I was lifting weights, and eating a lot. And the meals were bigger. Instead of having a snack at night, I would eat a full meal. I was never hungry. I was eating even when I was full. There were times where I didn’t feel like eating, but I knew that that's what was best for my body.

Right now, I’m down on my weight because our schedule is tough. That’s one thing I have to work on, especially for next year, because I think I’m going to put on a little weight this summer as well. I have to maintain my diet to keep the weight up during the season, so I don’t have to repeat this process every summer.

It seems like you’re moving better this season, even though you’re bigger than you were last season.

The funny thing is that I feel lighter. Even playing at 15 pounds heavier, it’s mostly on my legs, and I’m still running. I was at 240 to start the season. I’m at 235 now, which is better than 222, which is how I ended last season. Like I say, it can be hard to maintain weight with our schedule. I don’t have a chef because my wife and I like to cook, but I’m going to have to consider that for next year.

Ugh.

Why does he do this? He was noticeably less explosive, slower and clunkier this season. I don't care if he "feels" lighter, he doesn't look that way.

People were saying after last season that a bulkier Lauri would be more effective under the basket. I thought it was a horrible idea, and it turned out I was 100% right. The bulkier Lauri was LESS effective - he still had the inadequate length, but now he couldn't jump as fast or as high. It's not a coincidence he had trouble ending his drives with dunks all season. He had to resort to timid layups and those drag step, fadeaway one-leggers.

For the life of me I don't understand why the Bulls don't simply tell him to stop bulking up. It's like they don't care what he does.

It is maddening. My dream is that we land Zion and tell Lauri to get lighter and be able to play some SF next season.

[DungDonker]

Lauri just said that the most of the gained weight is at his legs. I can't see that making him less of a jumper.
Also, he had that injury do deal with. I'd bet that the injury was the main reason for his "slow" start.

[kulaz3000]

speaking of burritos - saw this today:

https://www.gq.com/story/lauri-markkanen-real-life-diet

Obviously, there are better foods available when you get to the professional level, but now you also have to eat more to get stronger. How did you go about gaining 20 pounds last summer?

During the beginning of the summer, I wasn’t running much. I was lifting weights, and eating a lot. And the meals were bigger. Instead of having a snack at night, I would eat a full meal. I was never hungry. I was eating even when I was full. There were times where I didn’t feel like eating, but I knew that that's what was best for my body.

Right now, I’m down on my weight because our schedule is tough. That’s one thing I have to work on, especially for next year, because I think I’m going to put on a little weight this summer as well. I have to maintain my diet to keep the weight up during the season, so I don’t have to repeat this process every summer.

It seems like you’re moving better this season, even though you’re bigger than you were last season.

The funny thing is that I feel lighter. Even playing at 15 pounds heavier, it’s mostly on my legs, and I’m still running. I was at 240 to start the season. I’m at 235 now, which is better than 222, which is how I ended last season. Like I say, it can be hard to maintain weight with our schedule. I don’t have a chef because my wife and I like to cook, but I’m going to have to consider that for next year.

Ugh.

Why does he do this? He was noticeably less explosive, slower and clunkier this season. I don't care if he "feels" lighter, he doesn't look that way.

People were saying after last season that a bulkier Lauri would be more effective under the basket. I thought it was a horrible idea, and it turned out I was 100% right. The bulkier Lauri was LESS effective - he still had the inadequate length, but now he couldn't jump as fast or as high. It's not a coincidence he had trouble ending his drives with dunks all season. He had to resort to timid layups and those drag step, fadeaway one-leggers.

For the life of me I don't understand why the Bulls don't simply tell him to stop bulking up. It's like they don't care what he does.

235 for a 7 footer is still light. Hell, KG in his peak was close to 250.

[ZOMG]

speaking of burritos - saw this today:

https://www.gq.com/story/lauri-markkanen-real-life-diet

Ugh.

Why does he do this? He was noticeably less explosive, slower and clunkier this season. I don't care if he "feels" lighter, he doesn't look that way.

People were saying after last season that a bulkier Lauri would be more effective under the basket. I thought it was a horrible idea, and it turned out I was 100% right. The bulkier Lauri was LESS effective - he still had the inadequate length, but now he couldn't jump as fast or as high. It's not a coincidence he had trouble ending his drives with dunks all season. He had to resort to timid layups and those drag step, fadeaway one-leggers.

For the life of me I don't understand why the Bulls don't simply tell him to stop bulking up. It's like they don't care what he does.

235 for a 7 footer is still light. Hell, KG in his peak was close to 250.

Bad comparison. KG was in another class as an athlete. He was like Giannis - he could pile on those pounds and still be explosive. It's simply in the genes.

We've seen what bulking up does to Lauri. He turns into Frank Kaminsky.

Once again - none of Markkanen's problems last season had anything to do with being too light. He had zero post game and bad footwork. He needs to work on those. I don't know who he's listening to, but he's getting bad advice.

(Of course, he might not be listening to anyone, just making it up as he goes along - at age 21. That would be very on-brand for the Bulls.)

Lauri talks too much about his body anyway. He needs to realize he has serious holes in his game that need attention. Stop thinking about eating, lifting, getting heavier. Go and find a freaking drop step.

[Proven_Winner]

Ugh.

Why does he do this? He was noticeably less explosive, slower and clunkier this season. I don't care if he "feels" lighter, he doesn't look that way.

People were saying after last season that a bulkier Lauri would be more effective under the basket. I thought it was a horrible idea, and it turned out I was 100% right. The bulkier Lauri was LESS effective - he still had the inadequate length, but now he couldn't jump as fast or as high. It's not a coincidence he had trouble ending his drives with dunks all season. He had to resort to timid layups and those drag step, fadeaway one-leggers.

For the life of me I don't understand why the Bulls don't simply tell him to stop bulking up. It's like they don't care what he does.

235 for a 7 footer is still light. Hell, KG in his peak was close to 250.

Bad comparison. KG was in another class as an athlete. He was like Giannis - he could pile on those pounds and still be explosive. It's simply in the genes.

We've seen what bulking up does to Lauri. He turns into Frank Kaminsky.

Once again - none of Markkanen's problems last season had anything to do with being too light. He had zero post game and bad footwork. He needs to work on those. I don't know who he's listening to, but he's getting bad advice.

(Of course, he might not be listening to anyone, just making it up as he goes along - at age 21. That would be very on-brand for the Bulls.)

Lauri talks too much about his body anyway. He needs to realize he has serious holes in his game that need attention. Stop thinking about eating, lifting, getting heavier. Go and find a freaking drop step.

As much as I love Lauri he does talk a bit too much about his body but then again I don’t doubt that he does take into account what he needs to work on. The kid isn’t dumb he knows what he needs to work on it’s only his 2nd year.

Though I will say it’s not bad that he’s adding weight because while he was slower he tells you how he’s even lighter now while still being bigger than he was last year. We need to stop only looking at how much they add over the summer and take into account they’ll easily lose that throughout the course of the season. But he knows he needs to get a bit stronger especially if he’s trying to defend the post. And to even drop step you’ll definitely need more weight when going against pros. Even PGs aren’t all a bunch of pushovers nowadays.

[coldfish]

235 for a 7 footer is still light. Hell, KG in his peak was close to 250.

Bad comparison. KG was in another class as an athlete. He was like Giannis - he could pile on those pounds and still be explosive. It's simply in the genes.

We've seen what bulking up does to Lauri. He turns into Frank Kaminsky.

Once again - none of Markkanen's problems last season had anything to do with being too light. He had zero post game and bad footwork. He needs to work on those. I don't know who he's listening to, but he's getting bad advice.

(Of course, he might not be listening to anyone, just making it up as he goes along - at age 21. That would be very on-brand for the Bulls.)

Lauri talks too much about his body anyway. He needs to realize he has serious holes in his game that need attention. Stop thinking about eating, lifting, getting heavier. Go and find a freaking drop step.

As much as I love Lauri he does talk a bit too much about his body but then again I don’t doubt that he does take into account what he needs to work on. The kid isn’t dumb he knows what he needs to work on it’s only his 2nd year.

Though I will say it’s not bad that he’s adding weight because while he was slower he tells you how he’s even lighter now while still being bigger than he was last year. We need to stop only looking at how much they add over the summer and take into account they’ll easily lose that throughout the course of the season. But he knows he needs to get a bit stronger especially if he’s trying to defend the post. And to even drop step you’ll definitely need more weight when going against pros. Even PGs aren’t all a bunch of pushovers nowadays.

There is a quote somewhere around here from either Lauri or one of his Finnish coaches. They very specifically did not want to develop him as a center and avoided any center type drills or skills.

This is a mistake, in my opinion. No one wants Lauri to be setting up in the post and acting like an 80's center. That said, virtually everyone switches pick and roll nowadays. When that happens, Lauri is going to have a fast, small player on him. He isn't going to be able to take that guy off the dribble. In order to maximize his effectiveness, he needs to get in the post and get a very easy shot. When you have 6" in height on a guy, posting up is a good option.

[Proven_Winner]

Bad comparison. KG was in another class as an athlete. He was like Giannis - he could pile on those pounds and still be explosive. It's simply in the genes.

We've seen what bulking up does to Lauri. He turns into Frank Kaminsky.

Once again - none of Markkanen's problems last season had anything to do with being too light. He had zero post game and bad footwork. He needs to work on those. I don't know who he's listening to, but he's getting bad advice.

(Of course, he might not be listening to anyone, just making it up as he goes along - at age 21. That would be very on-brand for the Bulls.)

Lauri talks too much about his body anyway. He needs to realize he has serious holes in his game that need attention. Stop thinking about eating, lifting, getting heavier. Go and find a freaking drop step.

As much as I love Lauri he does talk a bit too much about his body but then again I don’t doubt that he does take into account what he needs to work on. The kid isn’t dumb he knows what he needs to work on it’s only his 2nd year.

Though I will say it’s not bad that he’s adding weight because while he was slower he tells you how he’s even lighter now while still being bigger than he was last year. We need to stop only looking at how much they add over the summer and take into account they’ll easily lose that throughout the course of the season. But he knows he needs to get a bit stronger especially if he’s trying to defend the post. And to even drop step you’ll definitely need more weight when going against pros. Even PGs aren’t all a bunch of pushovers nowadays.

There is a quote somewhere around here from either Lauri or one of his Finnish coaches. They very specifically did not want to develop him as a center and avoided any center type drills or skills.

This is a mistake, in my opinion. No one wants Lauri to be setting up in the post and acting like an 80's center. That said, virtually everyone switches pick and roll nowadays. When that happens, Lauri is going to have a fast, small player on him. He isn't going to be able to take that guy off the dribble. In order to maximize his effectiveness, he needs to get in the post and get a very easy shot. When you have 6" in height on a guy, posting up is a good option.

Which is exactly why I want him adding on some pounds to work off. PGs are pretty thick now and a lot of them don’t give up space easily. When I see Lauri post up I feel like I’m watching someone who wants to take advantage but physically can’t. He can’t get deep enough and when he gets it he’s a bit off balance.

I’m sure we all want to see him punish players in the post because that’ll only make him more of a threat and further solidify that Dirk comparison. Lauri can be as great a scorer as any big man if he could fix his footwork. Then you’d have a 7 footer who can push the ball, pick and roll/pop, and post up. He’d be on every team’s radar (though he probably already is) and there’d be nothing you could do about him than hope he has an off night.

[coldfish]

As much as I love Lauri he does talk a bit too much about his body but then again I don’t doubt that he does take into account what he needs to work on. The kid isn’t dumb he knows what he needs to work on it’s only his 2nd year.

Though I will say it’s not bad that he’s adding weight because while he was slower he tells you how he’s even lighter now while still being bigger than he was last year. We need to stop only looking at how much they add over the summer and take into account they’ll easily lose that throughout the course of the season. But he knows he needs to get a bit stronger especially if he’s trying to defend the post. And to even drop step you’ll definitely need more weight when going against pros. Even PGs aren’t all a bunch of pushovers nowadays.

There is a quote somewhere around here from either Lauri or one of his Finnish coaches. They very specifically did not want to develop him as a center and avoided any center type drills or skills.

This is a mistake, in my opinion. No one wants Lauri to be setting up in the post and acting like an 80's center. That said, virtually everyone switches pick and roll nowadays. When that happens, Lauri is going to have a fast, small player on him. He isn't going to be able to take that guy off the dribble. In order to maximize his effectiveness, he needs to get in the post and get a very easy shot. When you have 6" in height on a guy, posting up is a good option.

Which is exactly why I want him adding on some pounds to work off. PGs are pretty thick now and a lot of them don’t give up space easily. When I see Lauri post up I feel like I’m watching someone who wants to take advantage but physically can’t. He can’t get deep enough and when he gets it he’s a bit off balance.

I’m sure we all want to see him punish players in the post because that’ll only make him more of a threat and further solidify that Dirk comparison. Lauri can be as great a scorer as any big man if he could fix his footwork. Then you’d have a 7 footer who can push the ball, pick and roll/pop, and post up. He’d be on every team’s radar (though he probably already is) and there’d be nothing you could do about him than hope he has an off night.

IMO, a lot of it is footwork. He moves like he has two left feet in the post, which kills his leverage. It makes sense when he or his coach says they specifically avoided working on it. He doesn't need to be a post master. Just be able to keep a wide stance to get into position and then a single move that is reliable. He isn't going to have to worry about having 4 moves and counter moves to trick people his height. Its just about getting into position against a shorter player and taking a shot over him.