On the rare occasions Lauri Markkanen has a rough day with fouls, his shot or his defense, he can always feel better when he’s off the court with fellow Arizona freshmen Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins.
“They’re both extremely funny guys,” Markkanen says. “I really enjoy spending time with them. Really, you can’t be sad around them.”
That’s good news for the Wildcats, who have had to put almost unprecedented pressure on their three freshmen this season.
Never in the Sean Miller era at UA have freshmen all been the Wildcats’ top leading scorers, with all of them averaging around 30 minutes a game and playing critical roles on both sides of the court.
Basically, their lives are a fire hose. Everything comes heavy, all at once, with little time to learn and recover. Arizona is 9-2, and the Wildcats have another big game Saturday in Houston against Texas A&M.
“It’s baptism by fire,” Miller said. “It’s one thing to have the coach teach in practice or use one of their teammates as an example.”
It’s another thing to do it on the big stage, learning when the clock’s running and fans are in the seats.
Arizona’s losses of sophomore forward Ray Smith (ACL), senior forward Talbott Denny (ACL), junior guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright (high ankle sprain) and sophomore guard Allonzo Trier (NCAA ineligibility) have left the Wildcats not only with just seven active scholarship players, but also precious little experience.
Arizona is the 25th-most inexperienced team in Division I, as measured by a KenPom.com calculation that factors in current playing time with past experience for all players on a roster.
“Picking things up is huge,” Simmons said. “We have to learn fast. We have games back to back to back and practice is huge. It’s just picking up things each and every day, learning them, and putting them into the games.”
Even Wednesday, when the Wildcats held off hard-charging Grand Canyon 64-54, the Wildcats’ freshmen trio each learned a lesson.
For Markkanen, the Wildcats’ leading scorer and across-the-board their best percentage shooter, it was the need to stay confident. Markkanen says the speed of the college game and the tighter applications of fouls on both sides of the ball are the biggest adjustments he’s faced after coming from Finland, but on Wednesday his shooting was just off.
Markkanen hit just 3 of 12 from the field, and only half of his eight free throws. But he managed to grab eight rebounds and committed only one turnover during a game that had Miller frustrated that the UA’s other post players had 10 turnovers combined.
“He just has to move on,” Miller said of Markkanen. “It’s not gonna be a perfect season from the beginning to the end. He’s a very, very talented player. But it was a physical game tonight. It was a hard playing game.
“Drives were highly contested ... and where he struggled was on a couple of drives late, when I thought he lost his confidence. And then when you’re a 90 percent free throw shooter, and you miss free throws, it can steal your mind.”
For Simmons, according to Miller, it was another reminder to add rebounding to a to-do list that already includes shooting, driving, picking up fouls, learning point guard and defending top perimeter guys like GCU’s DeWayne Russell.
“One of the things he’s not used to is defensive rebounding,” Miller said. “He’s never really had to do it. A number of times what he does is he plays really hard defense and then he leaks out. But when you’re playing against a team like Grand Canyon, you need all five defenders on the glass.”
Simmons is averaging only 1.8 rebounds a game, and with 18 total defensive rebounds, he has one less defensive rebound than Parker Jackson-Cartwright. Miller drew that comparison Wednesday, noting dryly: “Parker’s 5-foot-8 and he hasn’t played in the last four games.”
Miller said Simmons “has to rebound for us. If he doesn’t rebound, it hurts our team. What better way to teach him that then allow him to go out and see the repercussions of when you don’t block out.”
That was one way to learn. For Alkins, meanwhile, the lesson Wednesday happened when something that appeared dependable suddenly disappeared: His 3-point shooting.
Alkins was 4 for 7 from 3-point range Saturday at Missouri, but in the five times he went up for a 3 on Wednesday, none of them fell through the net.
“Part of why he shot five threes was he felt really good about his 3-point shot from last game,” Miller said. “But he didn’t let that bother him. He had eight rebounds, and he scored four two-point baskets. When the game really got tough, he really got tough. He’s from Brooklyn; he’s seen that before. That’s who he is.”
True to that nature, Alkins spoke after the Missouri game as much about his aggressiveness as the three-point shots.
“I’m just taking that approach more seriously,” Alkins said.
Fortunately for Alkins, he’s learning while mostly getting to operate at his natural small forward position, while Simmons is being asked to play both guard spots and Markkanen literally has spent time at every position on the floor except point guard.
As a 7-footer, that is.
“In fairness to Lauri, he plays the three for us,” Miller said. “There aren’t 7-footers (doing that) unless you’re the guy from the New York Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis. I mean, there’s nobody who does that.
“You can’t be 7-foot and use ball screens and dribble but that’s the position he plays for us because we have (only) three guards. Developmentally, it’s a great thing. But he’s not in a position to be at his best because of our situation.”
“He’s having to guard shooters, small guards, post players, and we’re asking him to do everything, and he just got here.”
In other words, Markkanen is a freshman for Arizona in 2016-17. There’s a future, even if the dizzying present is full of pressure.
“Do I think they’re developing? No doubt about it,” Miller said. “But that doesn’t make us feel good (in games when) you don’t have a lot of room for error, when you make a lot of mistakes.”
