The Utah Jazz gave everyone a first glimpse of what's to come this season. In their preseason victory over the Denver Nuggets, Jaren Jackson Jr.'s and Lauri Markkanen's abilities as a duo were on full display. Not just because of how they filled the box score, but because of their versatility.
While initially starting with Jusuf Nurkic, what made yesterday even more exciting is the fact that they were easily able to slide from the 3/4 to the 4/5 when they inserted Ace Bailey in for Nurkic. After the game, JJJ expressed how honored he is to play with Markkanen, while also revealing what makes them so dangerous, as reported by Jazz.com's Eric Spyropoulos.
“It’s an honor to play with him. He can fit on any team and I feel like I’m the same way.”
Yesterday was concrete proof of this. The truth is, Lauri Markkanen is a seven-footer who easily side in to either forward spots and center. JJJ has never really played much of the three, but what makes him so valuable as a player is hie's so defensively versatile that he can take on just about any matchup.
Individually, they are rare breeds as players that every team in the NBA would want. And now, they're teammates.
Jazz having both will make them a matchup nightmare
In the NBA, multi-facetedness is more valuable than ever. It's one thing that Markkanen and Jackson can score at the ability that they can, but the ways they can do it that makes them so unique. Markkanen plays like an oversized wing, while Jackson can overpower in the post or spot up from three.
They can be plugged into just about anywhere on the floor. No matter where Will Hardy puts them on the floor, it shouldn't be a problem. This advantage makes it so that the Jazz should be harder to exploit with those two on the floor.
This is definitely the most unique big man pairing in Jazz history and perhaps the most unique big man pairing the NBA has seen in quite some time. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are definitely more talented than them, but they were still the two highest-ranked Jazzmen on ESPN's Top 100 for a reason (and could be ranked higher by this time next year).
When people talk about how fun this Jazz season is going to be, Markkanen and JJJ aren't the only reasons why, but they are the primary reasons why. It's cool to have two All-Star bigs in their prime, but the Jazz have two of the NBA's most unique playing in the same frontcourt.
Add us as a preferred source on Google