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Lauri Markkanen named to NBA All-Rookie First Team on his birthday

By David Rosen

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 10: Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates his three point shot in the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 10, 2018 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 10: Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates his three point shot in the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 10, 2018 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Former Arizona Wildcat Finland sensation Lauri Markkanen received quite a birthday gift by being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

No surprise. For those who have followed Lauri Markkanen’s rookie season with the Chicago Bulls it comes as no surprise he was announced to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Some would even say he would have been in the running for NBA Rookie of the Year if the Bulls had a better year. Regardless, he had a remarkable season and set the bar even higher for 7-footers.

The other four who were named to the All-Rookie team were Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Kuzma and Jayson Tatum.  Lottery picks Dennis Smith Jr, and Lonzo Ball earned second-team honors. Great to see the Pac-12 is well represented among the top NBA rookies this past season and hopefully next season as well.

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For Markkanen to be chosen to be on the first team says a lot considering the voters are NBA head coaches. Nothing to take away from Ball and Smith Jr, but Markkanen is more versatile on both ends of the floor. What he can do as a 7-footer and how smooth he makes it looks are probably some of the reasons why he was selected.

Markkanen becomes the fifth Wildcat to be named to the All-Rookie First team. The other four that were named to the list were Damon Stoudamire, Mike Bibby, Channing Frye and Andre Iguodala. That is an impressive list to be a part of!

What makes this moment in his career even more special is that he received it on his 21st birthday! He is only 21, wow. Real scary to think how good this guy can become in the next several seasons.

In his rookie season, Markkanen played in 68 games and averaged 29.7 minutes per game. He finished with 15.2 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and 1.2 assists per game. He shot 43.4% from the field, 36.2% from three-point range and made 145 three-pointers, which is a Bulls rookie record

Overall during the regular season, Markkanen was fourth among NBA rookies in points per game, second in rebounds per game and ninth in 3-point FG %. If only the Bulls had won some more games and even made the playoffs, he would have been a main contender for the Rookie of the Year. No doubt about that!

This past rookie season, Zona Zealots enjoyed writing about The Finnisher and the records and milestones he achieved. Here are just a few of them to relive and enjoy:

Must Read: Arizona Wildcats: 11 Wins that won the 2017-18 Territorial Cup Series

At Zona Zealots, we would like to wish Lauri Markkanen a Happy 21st Birthday and hope for many more ‘gifts’ to come his way during his NBA career. Bear Down!

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