11 things you don't know about Arizona Wildcats star Lauri Markkanen, a projected NBA lottery pick
- Updated
There's more to the Finnish 7-footer than you might think.
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
It's no secret that Lauri Markkanen was one of the Arizona Wildcats' best players last season.
He ranked first in rebounds (7.2 per game) and free-throw percentage (83.5 percent), and second in scoring (15.6 points per game) and minutes played (30.8 per game).
And that's just on his own team.
He also ranked first in the Pac-12 in free-throw percentage and fourth in 3-point percentage (42.3 percent).
Markkanen was one of the most prominent Wildcats last season, and will likely be a lottery pick in Thursday night's NBA Draft. But there are still probably a handful of things you don't know about the star forward.
Here's a rundown of all the things that make Lauri, Lauri.
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Let's start with the basics. Lauri Markkanen is a 7-foot, 230-pound forward.
He was born in Vantaa, Finland, but grew up 136 miles away in Jyväskylä.
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Lauri was born on May 22, 1997, making him 20 years old.
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The game of basketball is a family affair for the Markkanens.
Lauri's father, Pekka, played the 1989-90 season at the University of Kansas. The Jayhawks' coach was Roy Williams, who is now at North Carolina. Pekka went on to play in various European pro leagues and for the Finland national basketball team.
Lauri's mother, Riikka, also played for the Finnish national team.
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Lauri isn't the only Markkanen with a promising career in sports.
Eero Markkanen, Lauri's oldest sibling, is a budding soccer star. He plays for AIK Fotboll, a Swedish soccer team, and is a member of the Finland national football team. He is 25 years old.
The middle Markkanen boy, Miikka, played basketball before injuries ended his career.
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Lauri is no stranger to playing on the game's biggest stages.
He started playing international basketball in 2015 when he was a star on Finland's national team at the FIBA Under 18 World Championships. Markkanen averaged a tournament-best 18.2 points per game and shot 41.4 percent from 3-point range. He attempted 102 shots in the tournament, 29 of them 3-pointers.
Before enrolling at the UA last summer, Markkanen played again for Finland, this time in the FIBA U20 European Championships. He was the leading scorer in that tourney, averaging 24.9 points a game. He made the all-tournament team.
Markkanen also played for the Finnish senior national team in a series of exhibitions last summer. He scored 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting against the Polish national team, while adding another 13 points against Russia in the final game.
— Bruce Pascoe
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Lauri has been garnering attention for years.
A Spanish professional team offered him a contract when he was 16 years old, but the Markkanens didn't want him leaving home that early and didn't think he needed the money at such a young age. The offer was a seven-year deal, which would've locked him up well into his 20s.
Lauri avoided becoming a draft-and-stash NBA pick, which looks smart now. Otherwise, he could be playing in Europe with his rights held indefinitely by an NBA team.
Lauri instead attended the Helsinki Basketball Academy for high school. His coach was Hanno Möttölä, who played for Utah in the late-1990s and was part of the Utes team that upset defending national champion Arizona in the 1998 NCAA Elite Eight.
— Bruce Pascoe
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
"You can make the argument that he had the greatest year in the history of our program as a freshman," coach Sean Miller said.
Miller's right: Markkanen's freshman season was one to behold. Here's how he compared to other UA freshmen all-time:
• Tied for second in total points with 576 (1. Jerryd Bayless, 592 points, 2007-08; tied 2. Coniel Norman, 576 points, 1972-73)
• Tied for sixth in points per game with 15.6 (1. Coniel Norman, 24.0 PPG, 1972-73; 2. Jerryd Bayless, 19.7 PPG, 2007-08; 3. Eric Money, 18.9 PPG, 1972-73; 4. Bob Elliott, 16.5 PPG, 1973-74; 5. Derrick Williams, 15.7 PPG, 2009-10; Tied 6. Sean Elliott, 15.6 PPG, 1985-86; Tied 6. Chase Budinger, 15.6 PPG, 2006-07)
• Sixth in field goals made with 185 (1. Coniel Norman, 242 field goals made, 1972-73; 2. Eric Money, 197 field goals made, 1972-73; 3. Aaron Gordon, 189 field goals made, 2013-14; tied 4. Sean Elliott, 187 field goals made, 1985-86; tied 4. Gilbert Arenas, 187 field goals made, 1999-2000)
• Eighth in field goal attempts with 376 (1. Coniel Norman, 476 field goal attempts, 1972-73; 2. Eric Money, 415 field goal attempts, 1972-73; 3. Gilbert Arenas, 413 field goal attempts, 1999-2000; 4. Stanley Johnson, 390 field goal attempts, 2014-15; 5. Sean Elliott, 385 field goal attempts, 1985-86; 6. Aaron Gordon, 382 field goal attempts, 2013-14; 7. Jerryd Bayless, 378 field goal attempts, 2007-08)
• 10th in field goal percentage with 49.2 percent (1. Channing Frye, 59.5 percent, 2001-02; 2. Derrick Williams, 57.4 percent, 2009-10; 3. Michael Wright, 55.6 percent, 1998-99; 4. Al Fleming, 53.7 percent, 1972-73; 5. Mustafa Shakur, 51.9 percent, 2003-04; 6. Coniel Norman, 50.8 percent, 1972-73; 7. Frank Smith, 50.2 percent, 1979-80; tied 8. Richard Jefferson, 49.5 percent, 1998-99; tied 8. Aaron Gordon, 49.5 percent, 2013-14)
• Third in 3-pointers made with 69 (1. Salim Stoudamire, 73, 2001-02; 2. Jason Gardner, 70, 1999-2000)
• Third in 3-pointers attempted with 163 (1. Jason Gardner, 193, 1999-2000; 2. Mike Bibby, 170, 1996-97)
• Sixth in 3-point percentage with 42.3 percent (1. Khalid Reeves, 46.3 percent, 1990-91; tied 2. Salim Stoudamire, 45.3 percent, 2001-02; tied 2. Jordin Mayes, 45.3 percent, 2010-11; 4. Miles Simon, 44.6 percent, 1994-95; 5. Marcus Williams, 43.5 percent, 2005-06)
• Third in free throws made with 137 (1. Jerryd Bayless, 187, 2007-08; 2. Derrick Williams, 158, 2009-10)
• Eighth in free throws attempted with 164 (1. Derrick Williams, 232, 2009-10; 2. Jerryd Bayless, 223, 2007-08; 3. Michael Wright, 182, 1998-99; 4. Aaron Gordon, 180, 2013-14; 5. Stanley Johnson, 178, 2014-15; 6. Sean Elliott, 167, 1985-86; 7. Jason Gardner, 166, 1999-2000)
• Fourth in free-throw percentage with 83.5 percent (1. Salim Stoudamire, 90.4 percent, 2001-02; 2. Chase Budinger, 84.5 percent, 2006-07; 3. Jerryd Bayless, 83.9 percent, 2007-08)
• Third in total rebounds with 266 (1. Aaron Gordon, 303, 2013-14; 2. Bob Elliott, 278, 1973-74)
• Fifth in rebounds per game with 7.2 (1. Bob Elliott, 10.7 RPG, 1973-74; 2. Al Fleming, 9.9 RPG, 1972-73; 3. Michael Wright, 8.8 RPG, 1998-99; 4. Aaron Gordon, 8.0 RPG, 2013-14)
• Tied for fifth in games played with 37 (Tied 1. Jordin Mayes, 38, 2010-11; tied 1. Aaron Gordon, 38, 2013-14; tied 1. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, 38, 2013-14; tied 1. Stanley Johnson, 38, 2014-15; tied 5. Rawle Alkins, 37, 2016-17; tied 5. Kobi Simmons, 37, 2016-17; tied 5. Jawann McClellan, 37, 2004-05)
• Tied for second in games started with 37 (1. Aaron Gordon, 38, 2013-14; tied 2. Stanley Johnson, 37, 2014-15)
• Third in total minutes played with 1,140 (1. Jason Gardner, 1,244, 1999-2000; 2. Aaron Gordon, 1,187, 2013-14)
• Ninth in minutes per game with 30.8 (1. Jason Gardner, 36.6 MPG, 1999-2000; 2. Jerryd Bayless, 35.7 MPG, 2007-08; 3. Sean Elliott, 33.7 MPG, 1985-86; 4. Russell Brown, 33.6 MPG, 1977-78; 5. Chase Budinger, 33.0 MPG, 2006-07; 6. Mike Bibby, 32.6 MPG, 1996-97; 7. Gilbert Arenas, 32.1 MPG, 1999-2000; 8. Aaron Gordon, 31.2 MPG, 2013-14)
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
If there was ever any doubt about the way Sean Miller feels about his European big man, he made it clear after the Wildcats took down Washington State on Jan. 26. Here's what Miller had to say about Markkanen after the game:
"For him not to be considered one of the best freshmen in college basketball is a complete joke. I mean, I will put him up against anybody, not just the freshmen, toe-to-toe, the quality of player he is. Period. I don’t care if you’re from Finland, Russia, China, Japan, North Dakota, Florida, California, New York City — if you have eyes and you’re watching Arizona play, there aren’t many players that play the way he plays. (Against Washington State) he had 13 rebounds, 16 points — the three 3s he hit in the first half were 3s that you don’t oftentimes see a guy make in college. He’s a very good player, he’s a great teammate and he has other guys that he’s playing with that are very good as well but once in a while you just pay attention (to Markkanen) even if you’re not trying to. And you look at, 'Hey, here are the best freshmen in the country' and I’m looking there and I’m saying, 'Are you serious? It’s not even close.' And Rawle (Alkins) and Kobi (Simmons) are also outstanding on a very good team, but just watching Lauri play, I think he deserves a little bit more credit than he’s getting."
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Lauri comes off as soft-spoken in postgame press conferences. Shy, even.
But Lauri's former teammate and roommate Allonzo Trier says Markkanen has quite the sense of humor.
"He’s a funny guy. … a funny guy in a quiet way, though," Trier said. "You have to get it out of him, or you have to be around him. If you guys see him now you guys don’t know it. But between him personally (laughs), he’s something else."
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Markkanen received many honors following his freshman season. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and a third-team All-American, among others.
DraftExpress.com projects Markkanen to be taken with the seventh overall pick in Thursday's NBA Draft.
Regardless of where he's actually selected, Markkanen will likely enjoy a long, successful career in the NBA.
The well-respected Henrik Dettman, the coach of Finland's senior team, even predicted it. He said the following about Lauri last summer:
"We are really excited about having him in the men's national team this summer and having him going to Arizona to play college basketball because that is also going to give him a new view and new experience of how the game is," Dettman told FIBA.com. "College basketball is different. The speed of the game is different, the way they play is different and this experience will give him a wider base when it is time to go to the next level.
"The next level is, of course, the NBA. But to make it to the NBA, that's nothing. You have to make it in the NBA, then you are something.
"I think Lauri has the talent to be a good, I would say All-Star player."
It was a fun ride for the Finnish 7-footer, but now it's on to bigger and better things. The next level awaits.
— Bruce Pascoe
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
It's no secret that Lauri Markkanen was one of the Arizona Wildcats' best players last season.
He ranked first in rebounds (7.2 per game) and free-throw percentage (83.5 percent), and second in scoring (15.6 points per game) and minutes played (30.8 per game).
And that's just on his own team.
He also ranked first in the Pac-12 in free-throw percentage and fourth in 3-point percentage (42.3 percent).
Markkanen was one of the most prominent Wildcats last season, and will likely be a lottery pick in Thursday night's NBA Draft. But there are still probably a handful of things you don't know about the star forward.
Here's a rundown of all the things that make Lauri, Lauri.
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
The game of basketball is a family affair for the Markkanens.
Lauri's father, Pekka, played the 1989-90 season at the University of Kansas. The Jayhawks' coach was Roy Williams, who is now at North Carolina. Pekka went on to play in various European pro leagues and for the Finland national basketball team.
Lauri's mother, Riikka, also played for the Finnish national team.
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
Lauri isn't the only Markkanen with a promising career in sports.
Eero Markkanen, Lauri's oldest sibling, is a budding soccer star. He plays for AIK Fotboll, a Swedish soccer team, and is a member of the Finland national football team. He is 25 years old.
The middle Markkanen boy, Miikka, played basketball before injuries ended his career.
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
Lauri is no stranger to playing on the game's biggest stages.
He started playing international basketball in 2015 when he was a star on Finland's national team at the FIBA Under 18 World Championships. Markkanen averaged a tournament-best 18.2 points per game and shot 41.4 percent from 3-point range. He attempted 102 shots in the tournament, 29 of them 3-pointers.
Before enrolling at the UA last summer, Markkanen played again for Finland, this time in the FIBA U20 European Championships. He was the leading scorer in that tourney, averaging 24.9 points a game. He made the all-tournament team.
Markkanen also played for the Finnish senior national team in a series of exhibitions last summer. He scored 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting against the Polish national team, while adding another 13 points against Russia in the final game.
— Bruce Pascoe
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
Lauri has been garnering attention for years.
A Spanish professional team offered him a contract when he was 16 years old, but the Markkanens didn't want him leaving home that early and didn't think he needed the money at such a young age. The offer was a seven-year deal, which would've locked him up well into his 20s.
Lauri avoided becoming a draft-and-stash NBA pick, which looks smart now. Otherwise, he could be playing in Europe with his rights held indefinitely by an NBA team.
Lauri instead attended the Helsinki Basketball Academy for high school. His coach was Hanno Möttölä, who played for Utah in the late-1990s and was part of the Utes team that upset defending national champion Arizona in the 1998 NCAA Elite Eight.
— Bruce Pascoe
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
"You can make the argument that he had the greatest year in the history of our program as a freshman," coach Sean Miller said.
Miller's right: Markkanen's freshman season was one to behold. Here's how he compared to other UA freshmen all-time:
• Tied for second in total points with 576 (1. Jerryd Bayless, 592 points, 2007-08; tied 2. Coniel Norman, 576 points, 1972-73)
• Tied for sixth in points per game with 15.6 (1. Coniel Norman, 24.0 PPG, 1972-73; 2. Jerryd Bayless, 19.7 PPG, 2007-08; 3. Eric Money, 18.9 PPG, 1972-73; 4. Bob Elliott, 16.5 PPG, 1973-74; 5. Derrick Williams, 15.7 PPG, 2009-10; Tied 6. Sean Elliott, 15.6 PPG, 1985-86; Tied 6. Chase Budinger, 15.6 PPG, 2006-07)
• Sixth in field goals made with 185 (1. Coniel Norman, 242 field goals made, 1972-73; 2. Eric Money, 197 field goals made, 1972-73; 3. Aaron Gordon, 189 field goals made, 2013-14; tied 4. Sean Elliott, 187 field goals made, 1985-86; tied 4. Gilbert Arenas, 187 field goals made, 1999-2000)
• Eighth in field goal attempts with 376 (1. Coniel Norman, 476 field goal attempts, 1972-73; 2. Eric Money, 415 field goal attempts, 1972-73; 3. Gilbert Arenas, 413 field goal attempts, 1999-2000; 4. Stanley Johnson, 390 field goal attempts, 2014-15; 5. Sean Elliott, 385 field goal attempts, 1985-86; 6. Aaron Gordon, 382 field goal attempts, 2013-14; 7. Jerryd Bayless, 378 field goal attempts, 2007-08)
• 10th in field goal percentage with 49.2 percent (1. Channing Frye, 59.5 percent, 2001-02; 2. Derrick Williams, 57.4 percent, 2009-10; 3. Michael Wright, 55.6 percent, 1998-99; 4. Al Fleming, 53.7 percent, 1972-73; 5. Mustafa Shakur, 51.9 percent, 2003-04; 6. Coniel Norman, 50.8 percent, 1972-73; 7. Frank Smith, 50.2 percent, 1979-80; tied 8. Richard Jefferson, 49.5 percent, 1998-99; tied 8. Aaron Gordon, 49.5 percent, 2013-14)
• Third in 3-pointers made with 69 (1. Salim Stoudamire, 73, 2001-02; 2. Jason Gardner, 70, 1999-2000)
• Third in 3-pointers attempted with 163 (1. Jason Gardner, 193, 1999-2000; 2. Mike Bibby, 170, 1996-97)
• Sixth in 3-point percentage with 42.3 percent (1. Khalid Reeves, 46.3 percent, 1990-91; tied 2. Salim Stoudamire, 45.3 percent, 2001-02; tied 2. Jordin Mayes, 45.3 percent, 2010-11; 4. Miles Simon, 44.6 percent, 1994-95; 5. Marcus Williams, 43.5 percent, 2005-06)
• Third in free throws made with 137 (1. Jerryd Bayless, 187, 2007-08; 2. Derrick Williams, 158, 2009-10)
• Eighth in free throws attempted with 164 (1. Derrick Williams, 232, 2009-10; 2. Jerryd Bayless, 223, 2007-08; 3. Michael Wright, 182, 1998-99; 4. Aaron Gordon, 180, 2013-14; 5. Stanley Johnson, 178, 2014-15; 6. Sean Elliott, 167, 1985-86; 7. Jason Gardner, 166, 1999-2000)
• Fourth in free-throw percentage with 83.5 percent (1. Salim Stoudamire, 90.4 percent, 2001-02; 2. Chase Budinger, 84.5 percent, 2006-07; 3. Jerryd Bayless, 83.9 percent, 2007-08)
• Third in total rebounds with 266 (1. Aaron Gordon, 303, 2013-14; 2. Bob Elliott, 278, 1973-74)
• Fifth in rebounds per game with 7.2 (1. Bob Elliott, 10.7 RPG, 1973-74; 2. Al Fleming, 9.9 RPG, 1972-73; 3. Michael Wright, 8.8 RPG, 1998-99; 4. Aaron Gordon, 8.0 RPG, 2013-14)
• Tied for fifth in games played with 37 (Tied 1. Jordin Mayes, 38, 2010-11; tied 1. Aaron Gordon, 38, 2013-14; tied 1. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, 38, 2013-14; tied 1. Stanley Johnson, 38, 2014-15; tied 5. Rawle Alkins, 37, 2016-17; tied 5. Kobi Simmons, 37, 2016-17; tied 5. Jawann McClellan, 37, 2004-05)
• Tied for second in games started with 37 (1. Aaron Gordon, 38, 2013-14; tied 2. Stanley Johnson, 37, 2014-15)
• Third in total minutes played with 1,140 (1. Jason Gardner, 1,244, 1999-2000; 2. Aaron Gordon, 1,187, 2013-14)
• Ninth in minutes per game with 30.8 (1. Jason Gardner, 36.6 MPG, 1999-2000; 2. Jerryd Bayless, 35.7 MPG, 2007-08; 3. Sean Elliott, 33.7 MPG, 1985-86; 4. Russell Brown, 33.6 MPG, 1977-78; 5. Chase Budinger, 33.0 MPG, 2006-07; 6. Mike Bibby, 32.6 MPG, 1996-97; 7. Gilbert Arenas, 32.1 MPG, 1999-2000; 8. Aaron Gordon, 31.2 MPG, 2013-14)
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
If there was ever any doubt about the way Sean Miller feels about his European big man, he made it clear after the Wildcats took down Washington State on Jan. 26. Here's what Miller had to say about Markkanen after the game:
"For him not to be considered one of the best freshmen in college basketball is a complete joke. I mean, I will put him up against anybody, not just the freshmen, toe-to-toe, the quality of player he is. Period. I don’t care if you’re from Finland, Russia, China, Japan, North Dakota, Florida, California, New York City — if you have eyes and you’re watching Arizona play, there aren’t many players that play the way he plays. (Against Washington State) he had 13 rebounds, 16 points — the three 3s he hit in the first half were 3s that you don’t oftentimes see a guy make in college. He’s a very good player, he’s a great teammate and he has other guys that he’s playing with that are very good as well but once in a while you just pay attention (to Markkanen) even if you’re not trying to. And you look at, 'Hey, here are the best freshmen in the country' and I’m looking there and I’m saying, 'Are you serious? It’s not even close.' And Rawle (Alkins) and Kobi (Simmons) are also outstanding on a very good team, but just watching Lauri play, I think he deserves a little bit more credit than he’s getting."
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
Lauri comes off as soft-spoken in postgame press conferences. Shy, even.
But Lauri's former teammate and roommate Allonzo Trier says Markkanen has quite the sense of humor.
"He’s a funny guy. … a funny guy in a quiet way, though," Trier said. "You have to get it out of him, or you have to be around him. If you guys see him now you guys don’t know it. But between him personally (laughs), he’s something else."
- Drew McCullough Arizona Daily Star
Markkanen received many honors following his freshman season. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and a third-team All-American, among others.
DraftExpress.com projects Markkanen to be taken with the seventh overall pick in Thursday's NBA Draft.
Regardless of where he's actually selected, Markkanen will likely enjoy a long, successful career in the NBA.
The well-respected Henrik Dettman, the coach of Finland's senior team, even predicted it. He said the following about Lauri last summer:
"We are really excited about having him in the men's national team this summer and having him going to Arizona to play college basketball because that is also going to give him a new view and new experience of how the game is," Dettman told FIBA.com. "College basketball is different. The speed of the game is different, the way they play is different and this experience will give him a wider base when it is time to go to the next level.
"The next level is, of course, the NBA. But to make it to the NBA, that's nothing. You have to make it in the NBA, then you are something.
"I think Lauri has the talent to be a good, I would say All-Star player."
It was a fun ride for the Finnish 7-footer, but now it's on to bigger and better things. The next level awaits.
— Bruce Pascoe
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