Markkanen, Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins have all averaged over 30 minutes a game, getting a chance to work through mistakes on the job, in the fire of regular-season games.
The three have been UA’s top three scorers and Markkanen continues to shoot with absurd efficiency.
The Finnisher shot 63.6 percent from the field and hit 8 of 10 3-pointers in UA’s wins at USC and UCLA last weekend. Markkanen is shooting 52.4 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point territory and 83.5 percent from the free-throw line this season.
“And the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet, he’s even better," Miller said. "That means defensively playing without fouling. He has quietly improved every day and it’s a big reason for our success.
“It's not just him, but also Kobi and Rawle. Those guys have been given big roles, they’ve worked hard in practice, they’ve learned through trial and error ... They don’t make those freshman mistakes anymore. They clearly know how to do things and how we do things at Arizona.
Ristic agreed.
“They learned so much” already, Ristic said. “I really believe they’re gonna hit the highest peak when it’s most important, in the postseason.”
