This player is the key to the Utah Jazz rebuilding process

From role player to star, Lauri Markkanen has been a revelation for the Utah Jazz.

Acquired in the Donovan Mitchell trade, Lauri Markkanen had spent the first five seasons of his career as a role player on struggling teams. Transitioning from a 15 PPG player in Chicago and Cleveland, Markkanen burst onto the All-Star scene with the Utah Jazz, averaging 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting an impressive 39 percent from three on 7.7 attempts. At just 25 years old, Markkanen earned the “Most Improved” award last season.

As a star player on a rebuilding team, Markkanen has been the subject of trade rumors since the past offseason. Now, Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz front office are confronted with a challenging decision: Can Lauri Markkanen be the primary player on a championship-caliber team?

Can Lauri Markkanen build off of last season and take another step?

Only three teams in NBA history have won the championship without a past, present, or future MVP with the last to do it being the 2004 Detroit Pistons. In the modern NBA, replicating this feat is highly improbable with the star power in today’s landscape.

Assuming the Utah Jazz believe that Lauri Markkanen can be the primary player to lead them to the elusive Larry O’Brien trophy, he will need to take another jump to become the MVP-caliber player that the team needs. Improvements in defense and playmaking will be necessary to get closer to that level.

Too good to be bad, not good enough to win the finals.

Lauri Markkanen finds himself in a fascinating situation. He likely elevates the Utah Jazz to a level that makes their draft picks too high, yet not quite good enough to lead the team to the finals. Fortunately, Danny Ainge’s strategic moves have brought the Jazz a wealth of draft capital from other teams that they can rely on.

As the Jazz continue rebuilding, their focus should be on furthering the development of young talents like Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Walker Kessler. Simultaneously, they hope that players such as Colin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, and John Collins can make the necessary leaps to guide the team to the finals.