If the Utah Jazz are serious about tanking, all eyes will be on what that means for Lauri Markkanen. The Jazz just gave Markkanen a sizable raise for his services. As deserved as it was, one can't help but wonder if he'll help the Jazz or get in the way of their goals.
Markkanen is an All-Star-caliber player approaching his prime on a team full of young players. For that reason, Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus explained why the Jazz's goals may get in the way of Markkanen's playing time. So much so that Pincus relayed his hot take that the Jazz will "sit Markkanen at least 30 games."
"The Utah Jazz will prioritize the lottery and Flagg pursuit enough to limit Lauri Markkanen's participation this season. Pencil him in for about 50 games, enough time off to ensure the wins don't pile up.
"Markkanen's contract was recently renegotiated and extended. Although he may prefer playing, he'll do what's best for the team after getting a sizable raise."
The Jazz will definitely have some competition for "Capture the Flagg," so if push comes to shove, this may not be too far off. Markkanen may be part of the Jazz's long-term future, but they may want to ensure that they've got one of the big guns, Flagg, right beside him.
It's a harsh reality because Markkanen has been such a nice story for the Jazz. He's the latest Jazzman to rise unexpectedly through the ranks into a star. Benching him to put out a worse product on the floor will not be fun to watch, even if it's what's best for the team long-term.
Lauri Markkanen has played 111 games over the last two seasons
Even though Markkanen has risen through the ranks in Utah, he hasn't played in that many games for the Jazz. In fact, he only played 55 games for the Jazz last season. In other words, even if benching him is part of their strategy, it may not matter for their lottery odds.
However, that may not be so bad for the Jazz knowing how the NBA lottery odds works. The highest odds the Jazz can have is 14%, and they don't even have to be the worst team in the NBA to do that. They can afford to win perhaps more games than tanking teams typically would, and it wouldn't hurt them too much.
That should inspire optimism that no matter how the Jazz approach the season, they can afford to be not quite bad enough and not have it bite them too badly. Whether they embrace the tank fully or not, as long as they don't achieve as much as they have the last two seasons without being an absolutely miserable team simultaneously, not much can go wrong.