Cavs: 3 hidden stats that hint at what Lauri Markkanen will bring

Cavs: 3 hidden Lauri Markkanen stats – Strong play at small forward

Lauri Markkanen is seven feet tall, right at home in the game of giants. He is not particularly strong and is not a great rim protector, so he has most often been slotted at the 4 during his career. Over 6,511 career minutes, he has played power forward an estimated 76 percent of the time.

Last season the Chicago Bulls tried something new with Markkanen. With most of their viable rotation players slanted towards the big positions, head coach Billy Donovan gave Markkanen some run at small forward.

It’s unusual but not unheard of to play a 7-footer at the 3. Dirk Nowitzki started his career there before moving to full-time power forward, and Kevin Durant has played much of his career at small forward.

The hidden stat here is that Markkanen didn’t simply play small forward, but he thrived there. In 130 minutes last season, lineups with Markkanen at the 3 were 14.8 points per 100 possessions better than their opponents, per Cleaning the Glass. Those lineups scored in the 97th percentile leaguewide among all lineups, unsurprising given that they often combined Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Markkanen all on the court together.

Perhaps more surprising is that they held up well on defense. While they rarely forced any turnovers they cleaned the class exceptionally well, held down opponent’s shooting and limited their fouls. Simply put, lineups with Markkanen at the 3 were elite on offense and very good on defense.

It’s a small sample size, to be sure, but for a Cleveland Cavaliers team hurting for small forwards, it becomes a possibility. Could a lineup of Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Lauri Markkanen perform well together? There are a lot of variables, but one stat at least is in resounding favor of giving it a try.