The Utah Jazz's tanking this past season wasn't easy for anyone involved. That was especially the case with Lauri Markkanen, who sat out many games in the team's blatant efforts to lose. Markkanen recently got real on how hard this past season was for him, and it should make the Jazz ponder their best long-term approach with him.
In an interview with the Finnish outlet MTV Uutiset, Markkanen described his last season as "a little harder mentally." He explained that he had higher expectations when it was about to start, which factored into why it was so difficult.
"You always want to try to play as many games as you can and play at a high level. Everyone is after winning... It went down the wrong track. Such a disappointment... It's frustrating if you can't play or the team loses," Markkanen said.
With the FIBA tournament about to start, Markkanen was optimistic about playing for Finland's National Basketball Team despite having had a pretty tough season in Utah.
"Now it's back to full swing here. This is a very motivating summer. Things didn't go as well as I would have liked during the season, but here I get to show again that I can do better," Markkanen said.
(Note: this was translated into English by Google Translate)
It's hard not to sympathize with Markkanen's sentiment here. He's an All-Star in his prime, playing for a team that was so committed to the tank that he barely played in more than half their games. However, he had to be open to just about anything when he extended with them last summer.
But he elected to stay in Utah believing that at the very least, he would play, and the Jazz benched him so much that the NBA fined them for keeping him out of their games. It might be different next season, but Markkanen's words are something the Jazz shouldn't disregard because no matter what their approach will be, they will likely be terrible again next season, which may further amplify Markkanen's frustrations.
The Jazz must think about their long-term approach with Markkanen
Austin Ainge promised that Jazz fans wouldn't see a repeat of last year. In other words, they will not tank. As nice as it is to hear Ainge make that promise, that doesn't mean the Jazz won't suck next season because looking at how they compare to their Western Conference competition.
They may add a few more to their win total, but their rebuild is still a work in progress, which means Markkanen may play more and even make another strong All-Star campaign while he's at it, but it won't change that they'll likely be a bottom dweller if they don't add any help around him.
It's been floated ad nauseam that the Jazz should trade Markkanen, and while it makes logical sense, it's not that easy. The Jazz will stink whether he's on the team or not, and potential suitors will try to buy low on him when Utah won't be desperate to trade him off.
Markkanen wouldn't be so frustrated as long as he plays, but he's not sugar coating the fact that he hates losing, too. The Jazz picked a lane this past season by embracing their youth movement, but now they have to pick one with Markkanen.