There's a lot of hype surrounding the Utah Jazz this season and for good reason. This will be the first time since 2022 that the Jazz are expected to win a few games. What hasn't gotten much attention is the fact that, for the first time in his career, Lauri Markkanen will be the leader and best player of a playoff team.
Markkanen's talent has been well-established for some time now. In fact, he has been so historically good for the Jazz that they've had to restrict him or bench him outright. Now, the training wheels are coming off, which sets up Markkanen for the best year of his NBA career.
We'll of course need to see it on the court first. However, Markkanen gave a pretty good sample of what's to come in his dominant performance for Finland in the FIBA Basketball World Cup yesterday.
Double-double in three quarters, Lauri Markkanen is just too good. 😮💨
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 30, 2026
21 PTS | 10 REB | 2 AST | 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/CmOyEFiOKj
A performance like that is just Tuesday for The Finnisher, but it reinforces why Jazz fans have every reason to be stoked for what's to come from him in a season that won't hold him back.
He's put up better performances both in the NBA and in FIBA, but Markkanen being able to do this is a good preview of what is sure to come from him this season when the win-now Jazz finally take the floor.
Markkanen's ceiling this season is ambiguous
Markkanen has only really gotten to stretch his legs for the Jazz in one season: his breakout season in Utah when he first joined them. He won Most Improved Player and made his first All-Star team. And that was for a Jazz team that realized mid-season that their best option was to tank.
It's not like Markkanen didn't prove how good he was in the seasons that followed (though some were concerned after Year 3 as a Jazzman), but now he has nothing tot hold him back. Because of that, there's no telling how good he'll be or what kind of accolades he could get in the coming months.
It won't just depend on how well he performs, but also on the team itself. Even after losing Walker Kessler in what many believe was a pretty brilliant trade for the Jazz, the expectations for Utah are decently high. Not title-contender high, but high enough that if all goes well and Markkanen holds up his end, an All-NBA team could be in the cards.
Everyone should try not to get too ahead of themselves because no one knows how the Jazz will do until they prove it. However, days like yesterday are a good reminder that Markkanen's fifth season in Utah has all the makings to be one for the ages.
Add us as a preferred source on Google