Lauri Markkanen is back to his old self this season, and that's great news for the Utah Jazz.
Over the summer, he competed in Eurobasket with Finland and rediscovered his love for the game, and it's paying off for the Jazz as he's averaging 29.3 points per game thus far, placing fifth in the NBA.
It's a career-high scoring mark for the Finnisher, significantly better than his 2022-23 season average (25.6 ppg) that earned him an All-Star berth and NBA Most Improved Player honors, and a far cry from last season's 19.0 scoring average.
And the manner in how he's doing it is getting attention:
Lauri Markkanen (35 PTS, 5 3PM) fuels the @utahjazz to the highest scoring output by ANY team this season (152) 🫡
— NBA (@NBA) November 12, 2025
That's his 7th game with at least 35 points & 5 triples since joining the Jazz! pic.twitter.com/u3aUPXtnLb
While the Jazz aren't blowing the doors off the Western Conference, it's great to see Lauri back in All-Star form. It makes everyone else's roles clearly defined and allows the young guys to grow without the pressure to carry the load until they're ready.
History is in the making
For all of their scoring prowess, past Jazz players like Donovan Mitchell (26.4), Deron Williams (20.1), and Carlos Boozer (21.1) never approached 28 a night during a season with the Utah Jazz (Mitchell did clear 28.3 a night his first year in Cleveland and is currently averaging 30.5 per game this season).
Per Basketball-Reference, Lauri Markkanen's 29.3 points per game in 2025-26 currently places him at seventh in Jazz history, with the other spots occupied by Karl Malone, Adrian Dantley, and Pete Maravich.
Maravich owns the top mark in Jazz history, with 31.1 points a night in 1976-77. Dantley averaged 30 multiple times in the 1980s, while Malone did it once (31.0 in 1989-90). Malone's 28.0 mark is currently 10th all-time. So it's some pretty good company for Markkanen to be in.
Currently, only Keyonte George (21.3 ppg) is averaging double-digit scoring in support. The return of Isaiah Coller and his innate passing should only make things easier for Markkanen, as the second-year guard showed tremendous promise and passing wizardry as a rookie.
And while scoring doesn't always equate to winning, the Jazz have been at their best in history when they have a clearly defined top dog, along with a solid supporting cast to back him up. The Jazz have enough guys able to complement Markkanen and play their roles to keep this going.
So it should be a fun season to see Lauri Markkanen chasing history and etching his name in the record books among Utah Jazz legends.