In what's been a breakout season for Lauri Markkanen, he made NBA history Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn.
With a three-pointer late in the third quarter, Markkanen became the first player in league history to knock down 200 threes and throw down 100 dunks in a season.
Including his history-making three against the Nets, Markkanen has had many other firsts this season. He was named to the All-Star for the first time and was chosen as a starter. He's also considered the favorite to win the NBA's Most Improved Player and has garnered legitimate interest as an All-NBA candidate.
"I think it's been my overall game coming together," Markkanen said. "Working on my overall game, working on where my spots are on the floor. … I've just been trying to bring everything together and just keep working on the overall package."
"Our team looks to Lauri," head coach Will Hardy added. "He's an NBA All-Star for a reason, and he's had a consistency about not only his play but his approach all season. All the guys on our team look to him as one of the leaders. … He's definitely growing in that way, stepping into that leadership role."
As Utah's No. 1 option, Markkanen has emerged as one of the top players in the league thanks to his unique skillset as an athletic 7-footer.
He's averaging career-highs in points (25.7), shot attempts (17.3), field goal percentage (50.1%), free throw percentage (87.3%), assists (1.9), and minutes (34.4). He's also averaging 8.7 rebounds per game, 39.4% from three, and 58.9% effective field goal percentage, all the second-most in his career.
His ability to score at all three levels on high efficiency continues to separate Markkanen from others — including a career-high 49 points against Houston on Jan. 5.
He has scored 30+ points in a game 14 times this year, more than he had over the past three seasons combined. He also has three games of 40+ points, something he's never done before. He has posted 28 doubles-doubles this year, again more than he had combined in the last three seasons.
"Lauri's done such a good job of continuing to work on different ways he can impact the game offensively," Hardy said. "Obviously, he's shown the ability to shoot the ball. … But the physicality he's been able to play with, to drive the ball and as a screener, has given him the opportunity to score in a variety of ways."
Amid his career-defining season — up to this point — very few outside of the Jazz organization thought this possible.
When the Jazz traded Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland this past summer, getting back Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, and a treasure trove of draft picks and swaps, a lot of people were more focused on Sexton's comeback from a knee injury and Agbaji's ceiling as a rookie wing.
Few were interested in what Markkanen would bring to the table, pigeonholing him as — at best — a role player.
But the Jazz felt different.
It's been widely documented that Markkanen was highly valued by Utah's front office, believing that other aspects of his game could be unleashed under Hardy's system. More than anything, they felt that Markkanen needed a fresh start, a place where he could come into his own if given the opportunity.
"He's been just as impressive as an athlete, having not been around him before, as he is a basketball player," Hardy said. "I don't know what the ceiling is on Lauri. … I don't think any of us do, but I'm pretty sure we haven't seen it yet."
With the narrative rewritten and some of his individual goals accomplished, Markkanen now has his sight set on new ones.
“I’m going to have to come up with something,” he said when asked about what’s next. “It’s just the beginning and the work continues. You want to make it again and then you want to win bigger things as a team and individually and just keep climbing up. … We’ll see what that’s gonna look like but we go go day-by-day.”