Our final NBA Draft profile belongs to Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen, who is a surefire lottery pick tonight in Brooklyn. Draft Express sees Lauri as the best big available and ranks him eighth overall, while ESPN’s Chad Ford ranks the sweet-shooting big man 10th on his board.
A snippet of Lauri’s strengths from SI:
Markkanen is arguably the premier shooter in the draft. He drained 42.3% of his attempts from the outside at Arizona, hoisting 4.4 per game. The NBA three-point line also won’t pose a challenge for his fluid mechanics. He’s a good rebounder, although he won’t make a living on the offensive glass. Scouts who evaluated his European performances also rave about his ability to handle the ball, both in transition and in half-court isolation settings. The thought of Markkanen running 4-5 pick-and-rolls with Karl-Anthony Towns or Kristaps Porzingis could induce nightmares for opposing NBA coaching staffs.
Fun fact: Lauri will be just the third player from Finland to play in the NBA.
Where the mock drafts place Lauri:
Draft Express: No. 7 (T’Wolves)
NBADraft.net: No. 11 (Hornets)
Chad Ford (In$ider): No. 7 (T’Wolves)
SI: No. 10 (Kings)
Off the court, Lauri is dating fellow Finn Verna Aho. She’s all about animal and human rights and also has a vegan food blog.
