This coming season, I’d expect that we should see Lauri Markkanen really thrive with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Last season, there were some inconsistencies for Markkanen, and despite him having ups and downs in his first four seasons as well with the Chicago Bulls, one could always see the talent level Markkanen has.
Sure, maybe the Cavaliers did ultimately pay a bit too steep of a price tag for Markkanen via sign-and-trade last offseason, as his deal was then for four years and $67.5 million. The last season of the deal is only guaranteed for $6 million, as an aside.
But generally, I thought Markkanen did a solid job in his first season with the Wine and Gold in 2021-22.
In a year where he was playing a significant chunk of minutes in a newer NBA role as a de facto 3, he did better than one could’ve foreseen on defense, and offensively, he seemed to be more comfortable as time wore on.
On the year, Markkanen’s numbers were a bit down in comparison to his Chicago days, but that was understandable, given the new situation. He had 14.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per outing, and connected on 35.8 percent from three-point range.
The numbers were not quite his 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in his time with the Bulls; he largely played well, even still, and this coming season, I’d imagine the year should be seen as a breath of fresh air for Markkanen.
The 2022-23 Cavs campaign should be viewed as a breath of fresh air for Markkanen.
Markkanen was adjusting to a new role last season with the Cavaliers, and overall, did a nice job, in my opinion.
He had a relatively slow start, and the overall production was down a bit, sure, but he ended out well after following an unfortunate 11-game absence leading into the All-Star break (ankle), he was one of the bright spots post-All-Star break for Cleveland.
The Cavs didn’t ultimately reach the postseason, with injuries playing into that to a large degree, however, Markkanen closed out the season well.
Some of that may have been due to Jarrett Allen being out of the lineup (finger), leading to more looks, although generally, Markkanen was in a nice rhythm, and had been in a good groove prior to his injury, when Cleveland was much healthier in the frontcourt.
With those sort of things in mind, I’d expect Markkanen to be primed for a hot start to his second season with the Wine and Gold, and that next year, he should have a breath of fresh air overall.
In his last 32 regular season contests, Markkanen had 16.1 points per game and connected on 40.3 percent of his three-point attempts. That was on 6.4 attempts per outing, a similar volume to his 6.2 per game on the season in 2021-22.
This coming season, I believe that we should see Markkanen really be able to come into his own as a shooter for the Cavaliers, and as the season progressed, he looked to have better chemistry with Evan Mobley and pre-injury, seemingly with Jarrett Allen.
Granted, there’s still going to be some growing pains, and I acknowledge that, as this will be only his second year with Cleveland, and in that newer role.
Having said that, I’d expect to see Cleveland improve in knowing how to get Markkanen going, and guys such as Darius Garland, Caris LeVert and Collin Sexton, if he’s back, should help as drivers in enabling Markkanen to get more quality looks. And Mobley himself can some as an on-ball threat and talented passing big, too.
So, at least from my perspective, this upcoming season should be viewed as one where Markkanen should be in a great place regarding his outlook, and I’d imagine we’ll see his shooting capabilities really shine through this go-round. He should be more settled in defensively I’d think, also.
In the mean time, Markkanen has recently been killing it for Finland in FIBA World Cup Qualifying, and he should be able to carry that momentum forward into his second year to come with the Cavs.