Lauri Markkanen - Utahin Marsalkka: All-NBA Snub

[jjvors]

Lauri highlights

I like seeing Lauri hitting from 3 and 4 feet behind the 3 point line.

I also liked seeing him drive to his left. That'll be open all the time in the NBA.

 

[Lee]

I like seeing Lauri hitting from 3 and 4 feet behind the 3 point line.

I also liked seeing him drive to his left. That'll be open all the time in the NBA.

NBA defenses are so much better than what we are watching, but Lauri appears to be a bit slimmer, quicker, you can see he is working on being an athletic 3. He has game for sure.

 

[Sebastian]

NBA defenses are so much better than what we are watching, but Lauri appears to be a bit slimmer, quicker, you can see he is working on being an athletic 3. He has game for sure.

I think he is going to be very good for the Cavs this year.

If he really plays well consistently on offense, and average around 17 ppg on 38-40% on 3PT, and is even just an average defender, the Cavs are going to be Sisuing on a lot of teams.

And if Lavert can stay healthy, and remain a long SG, the Cavs are going to be a pain in the ass on defense.

 

[Lee]

I think he is going to be very good for the Cavs this year.

If he really plays well consistently on offense, and average around 17 ppg on 38-40% on 3PT, and is even just an average defender, the Cavs are going to be Sisuing on a lot of teams.

And if Lavert can stay healthy, and remain a long SG, the Cavs are going to be a pain in the ass on defense.

I dont see 17 a game for Lauri, Evan is going to score more, we will get more scoring from our SG, no one else will regress except maybe Love, but I doubt that, i hope I am wrong, i like Lauri allot, and on a different team he could be a 18-20 ppg scorer, but he isnt enough of a ball handler to command the ball enough to score for us much more than 15. But that is ok, he will be more efficient, better on D, I just LeVert fitting in as a starter and Evan improving will be hard for others to score even more.

 

[Dunkqvist]

NBA defenses are so much better than what we are watching, but Lauri appears to be a bit slimmer, quicker, you can see he is working on being an athletic 3. He has game for sure.

I was at the venue, and watching from quite close distance I agree. He is ripped but not bulky and faster than before. He was moving well and decisively, also off ball. Aggressively knocked out the defender before hitting one 3-pointer and there was another block attempt at the basket where he came with full force bulldozing (a foul though) , no hesitation. However he has not developed any post moves when back to the basket and was beaten in defense badly a few times. Defense in NBA is generally much better like you said, but a lot of hacking was allowed, and Lauri seemed to be quite irritated and showing some gestures not typical for him. All in all I think he is in the best physical condition ever , mentally more aggressive and ready to hit the NBA floors again, at least based on this snapshot.

Tomorrow is another qualification game, in Estonia.

 

[Step-Back Hook]

NBA defenses are so much better than what we are watching, but Lauri appears to be a bit slimmer, quicker, you can see he is working on being an athletic 3. He has game for sure.

Lauri will also have better guards and bigger bodies with Cavs to offer screens. There will also be more room inside the arc in the NBA for the 3pt line being further. Those things considered I think he will get more drives in the NBA but will also be stripped more. His handles are still too clumsy in traffic. But all in all he looks good to go.

 

[Step-Back Hook]

Also one more thing - he needs to keep using his shoulders like in the first two baskets in that clip. Its one thing that has been sometimes inconsistent or missing. In his career best month Feb. 2019 it was visible how well he used his shoulders to offer some space and gain momentum. Then he had those injuries and it seemed he never got into the same kind of groove with that. With his size and his jump shot he just needs to keep using his body so he gets those shots up more when being closer guarded.

 

[Swuul]

Finland meets Estonia tomorrow. On Thursday Luka Doncic dropped 25 points on Estonia, so that should be the minimum acceptable for Lauri

Estonia team has many pretty big players, and they all seem to have been sculpted with chain-saws and the outlook finished with a frying-pan to the face. Absolutely not a very athletic team, but big and mean. The current head-coach of Estonia was for years and years assistant coach for Finland, so he should every little thing in the play-book of Finland.

Again a match where much pressure is on Lauri, and again a match where the opposing team will most like ly double or triple Lauri all the time. If the refs again allow free-hacking Lauri (like they did allow Israel players hacking Lauri on Thursday), it might not be pretty.

An important match for Finland, as a win here might mean that is all that is needed to get to the World Cup next year (it wouldn't be certain, but if Slovenia and Germany don't poop up their matches against Israel, then Finland should be in the clear if they take a win vs Estonia tomorrow). It is also one of the rare matches where Finland is the favourite, and that has often caused issues for Team Finland in the past; they fight like tight wolf-pack when playing against strong opponents, but when playing against percieved easier opponents Team Finland suddenly seem to be full of head-less chicken. Hopefully Lauri can provide the leadership needed to keep the other players focused.

 

[CleveRocks]

Well is highlights and he is playing less than NBA talent.. but he looks confident and decisive, mixing it up physically. He still has good passing and his long range shooting was still good.

He was a good asset for us last year, so even small improvements are good. I think he could get 17 a game if he gets the minutes.. He is one guy who will benefit from the addotional attention Mobley gets.

 

[Huber.]

Why do the Cavs let these guys play and risk injury?

 

[Step-Back Hook]

Why do the Cavs let these guys play and risk injury?

It is a simple pros vs. cons:

+ Huge morale boost for int. NBA players
+ Better game readiness for the season. Especially Lauri is one of the guys that has the slower start the longer break between games
+ A chance to try things from summer training in actual games

- Injury risk. Then again - Lauri had his worst injury when he sprained his elbow in Bulls practice session after colliding with Bobby Portis

 

[BigZ94]

Why do the Cavs let these guys play and risk injury?

They shouldn’t be allowed to represent their country?

 

[Swuul]

Why do the Cavs let these guys play and risk injury?

Why did Cavs let LeBron James play these games? Why did Bulls let Jordan play these games? Why are guys like Giannis, Jokic, Luka, Gobert etc playing these games atm? Perhaps because they are playing for their countries, matches where the NBA coaches (including JBB) and where the eyes of the basketball world are atm?

If in doubt, you might check a couple pages back in this thread and see what JBB had to say on the matter?

I understand some people love to watch on twitter dudes shooting 3's in an empty gym, but I for one prefer to watch quality basketball with actual playoff grit, fighting for the chance to play in World Cup next year.

 

[foucault87]

Those Ben Simmons workout vids tho...

Or even better those Dion vs Broom compilations

 

[Cavatt]

Why did Cavs let LeBron James play these games? Why did Bulls let Jordan play these games? Why are guys like Giannis, Jokic, Luka, Gobert etc playing these games atm? Perhaps because they are playing for their countries, matches where the NBA coaches (including JBB) and where the eyes of the basketball world are atm?

If in doubt, you might check a couple pages back in this thread and see what JBB had to say on the matter?

I understand some people love to watch on twitter dudes shooting 3's in an empty gym, but I for one prefer to watch quality basketball with actual playoff grit, fighting for the chance to play in World Cup next year.

People said the same thing about international play when Paul George broke his leg.