By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
It isn’t news that Lauri Markkanen has been unstoppable for the Utah Jazz since joining the team during EuroBasket 2022.
On the NBA Night, he had another great game against his former team, the Chicago Bulls. The Illinois franchise won 126-118, but the Finnish big had 28 points and some impressive dunks.
After the game, Bulls‘ shooting guard and former Markkanen teammate Zach LaVine had nothing but good words for Lauri. “I talked to him before the game. He was gonna try to make a statement. Those dunks, I had to tell him in the first half to calm down a little bit. That didn’t help anything”, he said.
“I’m just extremely happy for Lauri. The type of player that he is and he’s become, how aggressive he is out there. He’s 100 percent an All-Star in my book, he’s getting my vote”, Zach LaVine added.
Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan also praised Lauri Markkanen after the win. “I was always a big fan of Lauri, just my short period of time being with him. I thought he had a tremendous skill set and great size and was a smart player. Had a lot of different things that he could do“, he said.
“Guys just get better through their experiences. He’s gotten stronger, probably more confident, and more comfortable, and he’s obviously played very well. I appreciated my time with him. I liked him a lot as a team guy. I liked being around him quite a bit. But he was kind of, again, on his own path of growth”, Billy Donovan added about Utah’s number 23.
Lauri Markkanen himself talked about his experience with the Bulls. “It wasn’t the time for me. I know I’ve become a better player and more mature as a person, so I think it just takes time to evolve. It’s a process of everyday working and I feel like I’m in the right place at the right time. I have good memories from Chicago, it’s always fun to come back. They have a great crowd”, he said.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images