Following the disappointment of Lauri Markkanen's third season with the Utah Jazz, he has taken the last few weeks to prove that he is still very much the star he blossomed into as a Jazzman over the course of the EuroBasket tournament. As exciting as it is to see him look like his old self, if that continues, that could get in the way of the Jazz's tank.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon discussed this potential conundrum while discussing the prospect of Markkanen's potentially resurgent season with the Jazz this coming season on "The Hoop Collective."
"Markkanen has to continue playing like this to position the Jazz to really be able to get big time value for him because, listen, that contract, there was no hometown discount. It is a big, big, fat contract. It's kind of an interesting dilemma. He's potentially putting himself and putting the Jazz in position to get good value for him in the trade market. He also might put 'em in position to win more than the 16, 18 games that most people have them penciled in for," MacMahon said.
If Markkanen returns to form in the NBA, and it leads to more wins for the Jazz, it's a problem. Not just because it may not make them good enough to be a playoff team, but it could also take them out of the sweepstakes of landing a golden prospect in the 2026 NBA Draft.
This has been a problem before. Markkanen was just a little too good for the Jazz to fully embrace the tank from 2022 to 2024. If he plays like that again, there's no telling if history will repeat itself. If it does, that will only lead to more frustration with the Jazz and their direction.
The Jazz are hoping to have their cake & eat it
The ideal season for Utah is for Markkanen to return to form while simultaneously losing as many games as they can like they did this past season. There's no telling if that is how things will work for them, but while the Jazz hope to be bad as Markkanen plays like the Markkanen of old, every West team has aspirations to make the playoffs.
That works in Utah's favor because they are perhaps the only team in the West that will tank from the start. By doing this strategy, it allows the Jazz to have a full-time star while also fostering more young talent in the coming years.
Doing so gives them plenty of options for what they should do long term. Markkanen may get them more assets or he may guide them to the playoffs. No matter what, the Jazz plan to lose plenty of games. If they can get prime Markkanen back in the process, then it's a home run season for them.