Arizona Basketball: Lauri Markkanen Headed to the Desert

Lauri Markkanen will soon be making the long trip from Finland to Tucson.

Sean Miller’s best recruiting class to date began with Laurie Markkanen, and in a way, it feels like it ‘Finishes’ with him as well.

Lauri posted on Instagram that he is headed to the states on May 11th. What exactly the big man brings to this team, could make all the difference next season.

Listed at 6-11, 225 lbs, Markkanen was the first five-star recruit to sign on with Arizona back in November. He led his team at the 2015 FIBA U-18 European Championships with 18.2 points per game.

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We all know by now that our backcourt is stacked, but that may not matter if questions about the frontcourt go unanswered. We don’t know if Ray Smith can be effective at the four. We don’t know if Chance Comanche is ready to get heavy minutes at the five. Dusan Ristic regressed last season and I have a hard time seeing how he gets many minutes on a team that will have so many offensive weapons. Dusan can be effective when his number is called, but when will that be necessary? Can he improve enough defensively, and start doing the little things necessary to make a real contribution?

All of these questions leave Lauri Markkanen as the surest thing in the frontcourt, and perhaps the most important piece to next year’s puzzle. Puzzle being a fair term as I look at this roster and wonder how in the world coach Miller is going to fit it all together…a good problem to have.

Markkanen will have plenty to work on, but is hardly a project. Scouts see him as an immediate contributor and possibly a one-and-done prospect. He has a great looking shot with a quick release and three-point range. While not explosive around the hoop, he knows how to use his length to finish. His skill and basketball IQ jump off the screen when watching his film. He is decisive and wastes no movement when he sees an opening. While in the post he is very patient and always looking to hit the open man, and possesses a beautiful fade-away shot that appears unguardable.

If anything will hold Markkanen back it will be his defense and rebounding, but he seems to be willing and has the body to handle a more physical style of play. At worst he is an ideal stretch-four but if he can develop these other parts of his game it will be a short, and sweet, stay for him in Tucson.

What happens at the power forward and center spots will be huge next season. I believe if we open the season with Ray Smith at the four and Markkanen at the five, that will be a great sign of things to come. If Comanche is the only player that can handle the tough assignment of playing the five in Miller’s defense, that will be a problem. If Markkanen can hold his own in that role, we will have a dominant offense on the floor. This will allow Chance to be that spark-plug off the bench, and allow us to play small and get all of our talented wing players as much playing time as possible.

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Markkanen has been pushed under the radar a little bit and it does make sense. He is now just one of six 5-star players on this team  and the one that we know the least about. But Markkanen is used to standing out, and if he can stand out on this talented team, it could be a special year in the desert.