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Lauri Markkanen Hype & Appreciation Thread

I forget, does the coach get to choose the replacement starter or would be who is the 4th place forward from the fan/media/player vote?

I definitely think Lauri makes it whether outright or as an injury replacement, and I could see Mike Malone or whoever it is letting Lauri start just to be a part of the starter announcements at the beginning in front of the home crowd
 
This guys improvement really is something special. I expected him to have a breakout year but he is showing legit superstar potential offensively.
 
This last game is more how we need to involve Lauri. I was legit worried he would be frozen out in the 2nd half, as that has happened multiple times before, where he had 20+ in the first half then ended with like 26 or something because the 2nd half became the iso show starring a frustrating af Clarkson or others. This game we played it right, moved the ball, got the ball to Lauri where he could do the most damage and let him work. If we continue with this game plan we will win a lot more games.

The next wrinkle Lauri needs to add to get to superstar level is the ability to bait the defense and then create for others off that defensive disruption. If he can drop 3-4 dimes per game while maintaining this level of efficiency and playing solid defense with switchability he will elevate his game to more closely approximate players like Embiid and Jokic. 5+ dimes and he is firmly in that stratosphere.

Imagine a 7-footer who is a plus on defense, can switch to at least 3 positions if not more, scoring 23+ on league-best efficiency (25+ ppg is certainly in his future), pulling down nearly 10 boards per game, and dishing 5 assists per game. That guy is a max player and approaching top 10 in the league. That could be exactly what we have in Lauri. We completely fleeced on those trades this summer. Hot damn!
 
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Lauri being this good really changes/messes up our timeline. He's entering his prime and would be a shame to waste 2-3 years of this with developing players next to him. By the time the guys we draft are most likely ready to compete at the highest level, he might be starting his decline. I might be over dramatizing this a bit, but it will be interesting to see what the front office is thinking at the trade deadline/off season. We might be more likely to try and find win now players through free agency/trade based on optimizing a team around Lauri's prime.
 
SoberasHotRod said:
Lauri being this good really changes/messes up our timeline. He's entering his prime and would be a shame to waste 2-3 years of this with developing players next to him. By the time the guys we draft are most likely ready to compete at the highest level, he might be starting his decline. I might be over dramatizing this a bit, but it will be interesting to see what the front office is thinking at the trade deadline/off season. We might be more likely to try and find win now players through free agency/trade based on optimizing a team around Lauri's prime.
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FWIW, I don't think you really worry about this until next off season. This off season you draft as well as possible and use 23-24 as a developing season.
 
LogGrad98 said:
This last game is more how we need to involve Lauri. I was legit worried he would be frozen out in the 2nd half, as that has happened multiple times before, where he had 20+ in the first half then ended with like 26 or something because the 2nd half became the iso show starring a frustrating af Clarkson or others. This game we played it right, moved the ball, got the ball to Lauri where he could do the most damage and let him work. If we continue with this game plan we will win a lot more games.

The next wrinkle Lauri needs to add to get to superstar level is the ability to bait the defense and then create for others off that defensive disruption. If he can drop 3-4 dimes per game while maintaining this level of efficiency and playing solid defense with switchability he will elevate his game to more closely approximate players like Embiid and Jokic. 5+ dimes and he is firmly in that stratosphere.

Imagine a 7-footer who is a plus on defense, can switch to at least 3 positions if not more, scoring 23+ on league-best efficiency (25+ ppg is certainly in his future), pulling down nearly 10 boards per game, and dishing 5 assists per game. That guy is a max player and approaching top 10 in the league. That could be exactly what we have in Lauri. We completely fleeced on those trades this summer. Hot damn!
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All that and his personality, plus being naturally team player. Even his haters don't dislike him as a person.

It is very hard to imagine Lauri ever becoming prima donna, or court diva, or just generally arsehole.
 
This is an interesting comparison:

1673019091135.png

Strikingly similar, except Lauri is way more efficient. Mitchell is averaging over 36 mpg and Lauri just under, so when adjusted for per36 they come pretty close together. And if we keep feeding Lauri he could be every bit the scorer that Mitchell is. He has a huge advantage as a 7-footer who can do what he can do on offense. Not a lot of player will match up well to defend Lauri. Damn he is going to be all-NBA good in a couple of years.
 
LogGrad98 said:
This is an interesting comparison:

View attachment 13647

Strikingly similar, except Lauri is way more efficient. Mitchell is averaging over 36 mpg and Lauri just under, so when adjusted for per36 they come pretty close together. And if we keep feeding Lauri he could be every bit the scorer that Mitchell is. He has a huge advantage as a 7-footer who can do what he can do on offense. Not a lot of player will match up well to defend Lauri. Damn he is going to be all-NBA good in a couple of years.
Click to expand...

One is an undersized guard and the other is a 7’0 beast.

Then you add in 3 unprotected firsts, 2 pick swaps, Sexton, and Agbaji then it’s not even fair.
 
SoberasHotRod said:
Lauri being this good really changes/messes up our timeline. He's entering his prime and would be a shame to waste 2-3 years of this with developing players next to him. By the time the guys we draft are most likely ready to compete at the highest level, he might be starting his decline. I might be over dramatizing this a bit, but it will be interesting to see what the front office is thinking at the trade deadline/off season. We might be more likely to try and find win now players through free agency/trade based on optimizing a team around Lauri's prime.
Click to expand...

If the health is there he will be good rest of this decade. No worries. He will love in SLC. Can rebuild and be developing while still getting into post season. We get him and others that experience on becoming season or two and then the new rookies are starting to be readier to contribute for contending. We need that pg of the future but also we need another veteran here from the market. Mike does not have lot of seasons left in the tank I assume.
 
SoberasHotRod said:
Lauri being this good really changes/messes up our timeline. He's entering his prime and would be a shame to waste 2-3 years of this with developing players next to him. By the time the guys we draft are most likely ready to compete at the highest level, he might be starting his decline. I might be over dramatizing this a bit, but it will be interesting to see what the front office is thinking at the trade deadline/off season. We might be more likely to try and find win now players through free agency/trade based on optimizing a team around Lauri's prime.
Click to expand...

I don't think you're necessarily wrong, but this is also why I hate the structure of the league. I do think the "timeline" stuff is way overblown, however.

Lauri would have been amazing on the last version of the Jazz team. It's too bad we decided to sit on our hands instead of trying to win while we had a chance. Now we likely won't have that chance for years. It is very rare to have players as good as Mitchell and Gobert on your team. You have to do everything to try to find a Lauri type player with them, because without them we're in this pickle. Even with a player like Lauri, we're not close and in this championship or bust mindset it's fair to question the value of his breakout season.

Now I'm just waiting for someone to tell me something about myself haha....but I really do think this conundrum stinks.
 
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