Lauri Markkanen - How high can he go in the draft?

[The-Power]

Another game in which he didn't rely on his shooting. 1/1 from 3 and 0/2 on jumpers from inside the arc. 2/3 at the rim, 9/10 from the line (no free throws after intentional fouls). 11 rebounds (4 on offense) to go with 1 steal and 2 blocks (although it could have been 4 - at least if the commentators got it right (3 blocks in the post, 1 as a help defender).

He had two drives in the first half where he went left and finished with his weaker left hand (made one, drew a foul on the other). Turned the ball over twice in the second half as he dribbled under pressure (one time stolen by the double teaming Guard, one time he traveled). He has to work on his dribbling but he can already put the ball on the floor against other big men, especially when they close out (which they must because of his shooting ability). So this looks to be an area in which he can find some success at the next level if he works on it.

Markkanen continues to impress insofar as he's doing most of his damage inside the last couple of weeks. His shooting threat helps him to find space for his drives but the threat will be there in the NBA as well. Everything else he does inside is entirely unrelated to his shooting. Not much of a passer but not a black hole either. Should be a real weapon offensively at the next level with better Guards around him.

This Arizona team lacks a natural facilitator and they really struggle to give him good shots in the PnR/P over the last weeks. This is going to be very different in the NBA with PnR-primed PGs and better spacing.

[NatiboyB]

I'm beginning to think if he has a good tourney and good workouts he could elevate all the way to 5-6 depending on how the lottery falls...Not to many big time 4/5 prospects and in the right situation he could be a longtime starter or 3rd big going forward...If a team already has too many guards.

I'm thinking he is a more mobile/more determined Myers Leonard mixed with another Zone alumni Channing Frye

[TurboTitan]

If zona win it all top 5

[Ell Curry]

I'm beginning to think if he has a good tourney and good workouts he could elevate all the way to 5-6 depending on how the lottery falls...Not to many big time 4/5 prospects and in the right situation he could be a longtime starter or 3rd big going forward...If a team already has too many guards.

I'm thinking he is a more mobile/more determined Myers Leonard mixed with another Zone alumni Channing Frye

Those dudes weren't reliable 3pt gunners as rookies, though. Markannen might get twice as many 3s up while equaling their percentages. Also I would argue Frye is a league ahead of Leonard defensively.

[Upperclass]

He's not an aggressive player. But he is also on a team with a ballhog/gunner in alonzo trier

[Chuck Everett]

He played soft, but he also hasn't gotten into an NBA weight room yet. Still, his defense is atrocious and he seemed intimidated by Xavier's strength.

[Cammo101]

He's not an aggressive player. But he is also on a team with a ballhog/gunner in alonzo trier

Yeah, Arizona is a bad fit for him. They run a streetball offense and have a few gunners who dominate the ball. If Arizona ran plays for him like Xavier was running to get Bluett open threes, then he'd have been a much bigger weapon for them.

I think Markkanen can go pretty much anywhere from the 5th pick to 10 or so.

[DirtyDez]

He's not an aggressive player. But he is also on a team with a ballhog/gunner in alonzo trier

Yeah, Arizona is a bad fit for him. They run a streetball offense and have a few gunners who dominate the ball. If Arizona ran plays for him like Xavier was running to get Bluett open threes, then he'd have been a much bigger weapon for them.

I think Markkanen can go pretty much anywhere from the 5th pick to 10 or so.

Streetball is probably generous... Damn I miss Lute Olson.

Lauri has a lot to learn about the game. If he's forced into action right away it could get ugly for him.

[Killboard]

Its hard to determine his ceiling. I think he is a great (not just very good), has a good chance to be a very good shot creator. Nowitzky obviously is a very long shot, but there is something that put him above good big man shooters like Frye or Bonner, he is a more versatile offensive player that those.

His team will have to makeup defensively however. His physical tools and mentality dont seem to be the rights in that side of the floor.

[bulliedog8]

I havent watched much zona this year. Is ryan anderson a fair comparison? That would be a good ceiling to get to IMO

[The-Power]

I havent watched much zona this year. Is ryan anderson a fair comparison? That would be a good ceiling to get to IMO

Ceiling has to be higher. He's longer and better around and near the rim. But if he turns out to be as good as Anderson then that wouldn't be so bad for a pick in the 5-10 range.

[Mickey8]

He's too much perimeter oriented player for that size , he hasn't shown much of the post up game , even against smaller opponents that he could exploit like in the last night game , he came very short when it mattered most , he's not very good passer , right now he's just 7 foot shooter , for him would be much wiser to stay one more year in school so he could work on his game and enter the NBA much better prepared.

[Cammo101]

He's too much perimeter oriented player for that size , he hasn't shown much of the post up game , even against smaller opponents that he could exploit like in the last night game , he came very short when it mattered most , he's not very good passer , right now he's just 7 foot shooter , for him would be much wiser to stay one more year in school so he could work on his game and enter the NBA much better prepared.

He's a work in progress for sure, but he possesses a tantalizing skillset. A legit 7 foot sharpshooter who can put it on the floor and is willing to mix it up inside. He also rebounds well for a stretch 4. He will need to continue to put in the work to become stronger, a tougher post defender, and a more willing post scorer.

[The-Power]

He's too much perimeter oriented player for that size , he hasn't shown much of the post up game , even against smaller opponents that he could exploit like in the last night game , he came very short when it mattered most , he's not very good passer , right now he's just 7 foot shooter , for him would be much wiser to stay one more year in school so he could work on his game and enter the NBA much better prepared.

He shoots 70% at the rim and 25% shots come from there. He's shown inside play especially as of late and isn't just a shooter - just look at the last 10 games and how many 3's he took relative to shots inside. Have you seen any game other than the game last night? He was bad last night but the inability of Arizona's guards to involve him on offense has as much if not more to do with the unimpressive performance than anything he did himself.

Also, it would be silly for a lottery pick with a great freshman season to go back to college. Absolutely silly. Not to mention that he can develop his game in the NBA. His PnP game is already good enough to contribute to an NBA offense right away and everything else he can improve working in a more professional environment. Your last sentence could be applied to literally any freshman or sophomore in the draft but there's a reason why the elite talents declare early and still improve as players in the NBA - considerably more often than not.

[Killboard]

He's too much perimeter oriented player for that size , he hasn't shown much of the post up game , even against smaller opponents that he could exploit like in the last night game , he came very short when it mattered most , he's not very good passer , right now he's just 7 foot shooter , for him would be much wiser to stay one more year in school so he could work on his game and enter the NBA much better prepared.

He's a work in progress for sure, but he possesses a tantalizing skillset. A legit 7 foot sharpshooter who can put it on the floor and is willing to mix it up inside. He also rebounds well for a stretch 4. He will need to continue to put in the work to become stronger, a tougher post defender, and a more willing post scorer.

That's a concern IMO. To be an stretch 4 he will need to defend long 6'8 guys in the perimeter. Isnt easy to chase those around screens in space. R. Anderson is legit at that (but not spectacular). I dont know if Lauri will be that at the next level, and if that isnt the case, he will have hard time being a center.

[The-Power]

That's a but concern IMO. To be an stretch 4 he will need to defend long 6'8 guys in the perimeter. Isnt easy to chase those around screens in space.

How many long 6'8+ PFs are there who must be chased on the perimeter, though? Giannis, Anderson, arguably Davis and some lower-tier 4's (such as Chriss) but most of the teams don't have their starting 4's running around on the perimeter. Guys like Aldridge, Griffin, Milsap, Green, Jokic, Love or Ibaka all have an outside game but it isn't what I'm worried about. If anything his ability to switch onto Guards and contain them is what we should be looking at.

When teams downsize and play small-ball then the mobile 3/4 hybrids could be a legitimate issue, yes. But in those settings it's easier for him to play Center as well. Let's first see how good he can rebound and what his fellow big men on the team that drafts him are but it's certainly possible that he can eventually play Center later in games.

[Upperclass]

There were multiple possessions lastnight where he didn't even touch the ball and was only used a screener. It was weird to watch. The guys guarding him we're 3-4 inches shorter on average. This was Arizona's issue all year. Lack of touches for him. Zero chance he returns, nor should he.

[Chuck Everett]

There were multiple possessions lastnight where he didn't even touch the ball and was only used a screener. It was weird to watch. The guys guarding him we're 3-4 inches shorter on average. This was Arizona's issue all year. Lack of touches for him. Zero chance he returns, nor should he.

He looked afraid out there. He could have touched the ball if he called for it even once. He never made one hard post up in the 2nd half.

[Upperclass]

There were multiple possessions lastnight where he didn't even touch the ball and was only used a screener. It was weird to watch. The guys guarding him we're 3-4 inches shorter on average. This was Arizona's issue all year. Lack of touches for him. Zero chance he returns, nor should he.

He looked afraid out there. He could have touched the ball if he called for it even once. He never made one hard post up in the 2nd half.

I think it's difficult to get in a groove, of such a highly contested game, when you arent getting touches. Shooters need to feel the ball and he wasnt getting those types of touches anywhere. He admittedly did not post hard at all, but Miller did him zero favors with their offensive sets. His first half buckets were mostly garbage baskets on rebounds

[Mickey8]

He's too much perimeter oriented player for that size , he hasn't shown much of the post up game , even against smaller opponents that he could exploit like in the last night game , he came very short when it mattered most , he's not very good passer , right now he's just 7 foot shooter , for him would be much wiser to stay one more year in school so he could work on his game and enter the NBA much better prepared.

He shoots 70% at the rim and 25% shots come from there. He's shown inside play especially as of late and isn't just a shooter - just look at the last 10 games and how many 3's he took relative to shots inside. Have you seen any game other than the game last night? He was bad last night but the inability of Arizona's guards to involve him on offense has as much if not more to do with the unimpressive performance than anything he did himself.

Also, it would be silly for a lottery pick with a great freshman season to go back to college. Absolutely silly. Not to mention that he can develop his game in the NBA. His PnP game is already good enough to contribute to an NBA offense right away and everything else he can improve working in a more professional environment. Your last sentence could be applied to literally any freshman or sophomore in the draft but there's a reason why the elite talents declare early and still improve as players in the NBA - considerably more often than not.

To be honest , competition he faced all season long wasn't that great , he need's to expand his game beyond perimeter shooting , his post moves are not that diverse, he has great size , he has to learn how to use it .