Is Lauri Markkanen good?

[clyde21]

He's doesn't look 7 ft at all.

He looks around 6'10'.

He’s 6’12”

No he's not he's 213 centimeters.

[jc23]

No, but i can see him being better then many of the above mentioned in a few years. All depends on how they all continue to develop.

[bulliedog8]

Higher ceiling than Kristaps. Rich Mans dirk is his worst case scenario. Gonna be fun

[JimmyButler21]

Higher ceiling than Kristaps. Rich Mans dirk is his worst case scenario. Gonna be fun

[bulliedog8]

Highest ceiling of the class. Wanted Isaac over him, thankfully that didnt happen

[mattkobe1984]

I honestly think his ceiling will be the highest, have you guys seen his speed of shot release, especially at 7 feet tall. I think once he mature as a player and strengthen up abit more offensively he will be pretty deadly. As good as Mitchell and Tatum are, there will be explosive players like those that comes in the league here and there.

BTW that dunk on kanter is nasty

[The Evidence]

Ahead of Tatum.

Even with Mitchell.

Wouldn't trade him for any of them or Simmons.

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

Kudos to Garpax. They did really well on that Butler trade.

[PhilBlackson]

I don't know how vocal Jazz fans are but this won't sit well with Celtics' fans lol

Personally I still think Tatum because at least as it stands now he seems to be the most well rounded player in that he's a great offensive weapon and seems to be a really good defender. I know Mitchell was solid in college but not sure how he's been in the pros as one. I think Markannen has the potential to be the best SCORER of the bunch because he's already a PF Klay Thompson that can shoot the lights out and if he continues to improve his ball skills ie/ ballhandling and passing at 6'10-7ft that's a helluva handful that the other 2 simply can't be due to size. How dynamic he becomes at scoring and/or running an offense will dictate if he can surpass Tatum imo.

But right now Mitchell (who is also the oldest) is the best scorer probably due to being ahead in development but I can see long term both Tatum and Lauri passing him. Lauri as a scorer and Tatum's overall impact. I love this draft class though really, what an influx of great young talent. I wish we could have seen more of Isaac but it won't surprise if him and don't forget FULTZ also get their names back in the conversation in a couple of years. Guys like DS Jr, Fox, Ntilikina and Ball will all also be very good players.

[GameBredAPBT]

Tatum is the most NBA ready rookie this season, but his upside isn't the highest. I could see him having a Joe Johnson type career (obviously not a knock whatsoever).

Markk's upside, on the other hand, man....who knows. Sky is the limit, based purely upon size, skillset, underrated athleticism, & of course that pure stroke alone. He's one of the most unique prospects that has come down the pipeline in quite some time. He's like some hybrid of Sheed Wallace & Klay Thompson.

Mitchell, same thing. Very unique player with a sky high ceiling.

Fultz needs to play asap.

[bulliedog8]

Kudos to Garpax. They did really well on that Butler trade.

And yet a lot of fans, and DEFINITELY myself included, were pissed at the package. I for sure thought it was absolutely ridiculous that the bulls gave up the 16 pick with butler. But in hindsight, great trade for the bulls. And amazing trade for the wolves too. Their 3-4 year window right now looks great. I see 1-2 wcfs appearances most likely starting next year.

[GameBredAPBT]

Higher ceiling than Kristaps. Rich Mans dirk is his worst case scenario. Gonna be fun

Um, that's not an outlandish assertion in the least. Porz is so overrated on this board.

[TheSheriff]

Tatum was the best player in that class. he has simply not been asked to do as much as a typical stud rookie or as he is on a superior team playing with Kyrie Irving and other ball skilled players. If Tatum were on the Bulls or Jazz his efficiency would likely be less, but he’d certainly have more points.

[TheBrooklynKidd]

Lauri Marrkanen was probably my favorite player in the draft. I remember the mocks leading up that had him dropping to late in the lottery and I thought my Nets would have a chance at trading up for him but the second I saw the Bulls move up to 7th I knew it was over. i lost a lot of respect for basketball heads that talked **** about the pick(looking at you Bill Simmons).

Dudes a 7 foot tall JJ Reddick. Literally a perfect power forward and a star in the making.

[bulliedog8]

Higher ceiling than Kristaps. Rich Mans dirk is his worst case scenario. Gonna be fun

Um, that's not an outlandish assertion in the least. Porz is so overrated on this board.

You would think he should have bolded my second part. A rich mans dirk as a floor is a ridiculous thing for me to say, yet he left that unbolded. JB21 is

[Duke4life831]

Okay Im going to merge this with the other Lauri thread that is literally right next to this one. No need to have multiple threads about anyone especially rookies when they have their own thread and a thread stickied at the top made for nothing about rookie talk.

[The_Hater]

Higher ceiling than Kristaps. Rich Mans dirk is his worst case scenario. Gonna be fun

Um, that's not an outlandish assertion in the least. Porz is so overrated on this board.

24 ppg aside, Porzingis is currently leading the league in rim protection defensive FG% and among the league leaders in blocks at age 22. So it’s quite possible he’s currently underrated by most, based on your statement.

I like Mark but he doesn’t have even close to KP’s defensive potential and if he ends up being a 24 ppg scorer that’s an allstar level player.

[PierceFan4ever]

I still like my 19 year old rookie over all of them who's also the Celtics 3rd best player on the 2nd best team record wise.

But I honestly don't really care if a Bulls fan likes Markkanen more, or a Jazz with Mitchell, or Sixers with Simmons, etc. If you're happy with your rookie and have no regrets over where they were drafted, then that's all that really matters.

Oh and lol to anyone who says Tatum has a limited ceiling at age 19. Just like he wasn't supposed to be this good of a shooter or defender coming out of college right?

[MN7725]

Watch on YouTube

Lauri definitely an underrated athlete. Not elite but he's not just a shooting stiff. I think you have to say he's at least comparable to Kristaps as an athlete, if not better. Remember he had the off the backboard between the legs dunk in warmups. He's clearly very athletic and mobile.

He's got a deceptively quick first step too. Not too many people his size can keep him from driving, which is why I'm super high on him. He's not just doing his scoring with hot shooting, he's driving it in quite a bit.

Agree 100%

I wanted Wolves to draft him at #7 before the Butler trade happened and would always get push-back about how he's slow, weak, unathletic, Ryan Anderson, Channing Frye, etc.

Just not the player I was seeing in college, must be white-guy bias

[Memgrizz0]

I think the question is now: how good can he be?