Lauri Markkanen has cooled a little bit since his historic start, but he is still playing at an All-Star level for the Utah Jazz this season. However, his playing at this pace could be troublesome for the Jazz, as everyone knows that if their first-round pick falls out of the top eight, it goes to Oklahoma City. That's why it would make sense if the Jazz keep him out with "injuries" going forward.
Markkanen has been absent for the last two Jazz games, both of which were hard-fought losses. The Deseret News' Sarah Todd more or less confirmed that his so-called injury were more or less a ploy by the Jazz to avoid the worst-case scenario during her appearance on "The Athletic NBA Daily."
"They can't really win more than 12 games the rest of the way out, and I feel the front office is pretty committed to that, so last night was kind of one of the first indications: Lauri out with what is called a 'right groin injury management.' And I'm surprised to hear that he's managing a groin injury that did not exist before yesterday... I expect so many Cody Williams minutes," Todd said.
Because what Markkanen does is very hard to replace, that would play right into the Jazz's hands. He really is a ceiling raiser who gives the Jazz some respectability when he's playing at his best. So when he's not playing, Utah is about as bad as any tanking team out there.
It is such a shame that Markkanen's resurgence may be thrown away, but long-term, it may be what is best for the Jazz.
Will anyone be joining Markkanen this season?
As Todd alludes to, Markkanen will likely be kept out for stretches as the season progresses so that the Jazz keep the pick. Besides avoiding making the Thunder even more invincible than they already are, if the Jazz succeed in retaining it, it won't be a problem ever again.
For that reason, don't be surprised if other Jazzmen join him. The most notable name most likely being Keyonte George, though considering his youth, that may not be until around the end of the season.
If this is Utah's strategy, it's a smart one, but it's problematic because they've done this with Markkanen before. It's already hard enough for any star player to see their team losing, but to be intentionally benched to aid their tanking odds? Markkanen loves Utah, but how long of a leash will he give them?
It's clear Utah won't execute this strategy for much longer. In fact, this may be the last season fans will see Markkanen on injury reports for so-called groin injuries or not. However, if Markkanen loses patience with all the losing, he's within his rights to tell the Jazz as such.