Chicago Bulls forward and former Arizona Wildcat Lauri Markkanen is having one of the best rookie seasons out of anyone in the UA pipeline, but his year got more historic on Monday.
In the second half against the Heat, Markkanen knocked down his 100th 3-pointer of the year and became the fastest player in NBA history to do so in his 41st game of the season. It took Stephen Curry 58 and Ray Allen 76 games in their first year to hit that mark.
The 7-foot Markkanen is also making more 3-pointers per game (2.5) than any other rookie in NBA history. The original record was set by Damian Lillard in 2013 (2.3).
Even Markkanen's college coach Sean Miller recognized his exceptional year after the Wildcats beat Oregon State last week.
Sean Miller showing some love for @MarkkanenLauri: “I read earlier today that Lauri has the opportunity to make more 3-point shots as an NBA rookie than any other player that’s ever played in the NBA. That’s a pretty good stat... it’d be nice to have him with us.” pic.twitter.com/uEwuiQjoUd
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) January 12, 2018
With the way Markkanen keeps shooting from beyond the arc, he's on pace to make 200 3-pointers this year, which will be the rookie record. Lillard currently holds the record with 185.
Not a bad year for the Finnish first-year player.
