What Position Does Lauri Markkanen Play?

Lauri Markkanen is a Finnish basketball player, currently playing for the Utah Jazz. Nicknamed ‘The Finnisher’, Markkanen is one of the best players ever to come out of Finland. He recently had his breakout year in the 2022-23 NBA season by making his first all-star team. The Jazz forward was named the NBA’s most improved player, a great accomplishment for the young Finland native. The Jazz have committed to building around Lauri Markkanen and intend on keeping him the franchise player. This is a great position for Markkanen to be in as the role of a franchise player a potential many saw in him but never a guarantee.

Lauri Markkanen’s Position

After playing one season for the Arizona Wildcats, Markkanen declared to the 2017 NBA draft and was picked by the Chicago Bulls as the 7th overall pick (in a trade package for Zach Lavine). In his first two seasons, Markkanen showed true promise. His length and shooting ability for his size made him a unique player and immediately drew the attention of NBA fans, comparing him to another European legend who was tall and had a shooting touch: Dirk Nowitzki. But injuries began to catch up with Markkanen as he barely made any progress in the next two seasons. In the 2021 season, Markkanen was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal, it was here that Markkanen saw some of the worst seasons in his career. Made to play as a role player, Markkanen struggled in a system that played traditional bigs and couldn’t find his place over there. Luckily, for him, he would get traded to the Utah Jazz for the mammoth deal that landed the Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell and Markkanen got a fresh start. Immediately, Markkanen made an impact as the Jazz were atop the Western Conference a few weeks into the season, something no one had expected and Markkanen was at the center of this. He had a breakout season making his first all-star team and the Jazz look to build a contender around him.

As for what position Markkanen plays, he is listed as a power forward but he has the strength and body of center while having the dexterity and ball-handling skills of a small forward. Like a combo guard, one can take Markkanen to be a combo forward, someone who is neither a power forward nor a small forward but has the skill set of both.

Lauri Markkanen's Number

When Lauri Markkanen entered the league, he wore number 24, an ode to his favorite player, Kobe Bryant. However, after his tragic passing in 2020, Markkanen contemplated changing his number but decided to stick with it as a gesture to honoring the late, great Kobe Bryant. Initially, Markkanen wanted to wear 23 but when he was drafted by the Bulls, that number was retired for Michael Jordan. So Markkanen took the number 24. When he got traded to the Cavs, he couldn’t wear 23 again as the number would be retired by the Cavs soon for LeBron James. So when Markkanen got traded to the Jazz, he decided to wear 23 as that number is not retired by the team.