There's been plenty of discussion about how historically good Lauri Markkanen has been for the Utah Jazz this season. Primarily that comes from the fact that he has become next to impossible to stop. While his play has dropped off a tad lately, which shouldn't be brushed off, Markkanen's dominant scoring overall has overshadowed his improvement as a playmaker.
Jazz.com's Eric Spyropoulos pointed out that Markkanen had some nice dimes during the Jazz's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. More than that, the Finnisher is also having a career year as a playmaker.
Couple of nice passes from Lauri Markkanen last night. He finished with 4 assists, his most in a game since opening night.
— Eric Spyropoulos (@EricSpyroNBA) November 25, 2025
On the season, he's got career highs in APG (2.2) and AST% (11%) pic.twitter.com/DFdkScRZYh
One could say Markkanen "finnishing" applies to more than just his scoring. Regardless, while the scoring has obviously been sensational from Markkanen, him showing some improved passing chops is a nice added bonus.
While 2.2 assists per game isn't exactly John Stockton-like numbers as a dishman, Markkanen getting better at that part of his game could make the Jazz's offense all the more dynamic long-term. Utah definitely won't rely on him to be their main playmaker, but stats like this show he's not a chucker.
Markkanen's job in the Jazz's offense is, of course, to score, but being smarter about which plays to shoot and which plays to pass could make the team so much more unstoppable.
It could also help the Jazz's other top scorers
While Markkanen has been at the top of Utah's pecking order on the offensive end, the Jazz have had at least two of their guys stake their claim as the team's two other best scorers: Keyonte George and Ace Bailey.
George has asserted himself as the team's best playmaker (which is why there's no pressure on Markkanen to further assert himself in that department), while Bailey has shown with each passing game that he is more than capable of making the right play. Because of how good both of them have been, they have made life easier for Markkanen as a scorer.
Markkanen progressing as a passer could make the game easier for them in return, even if his scoring abilities already do much of that. His ability to read double teams could help them find better shots, thereby improving their scoring numbers.
Part of what will get the Jazz back to prominence is all-around improvement from their best players. Markkanen already proved how tough of a scorer he was before this season even started and he's somehow reached a new level. His offensive ascension has also included his improvement as a passer.
It's not getting the Jazz much in terms of winning results, but it's surprising development that should definitely excite Utah long-term.