By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Lauri Markkanen went through a complicated season with the Utah Jazz, but he is looking forward to playing on home soil in the preliminary round of the EuroBasket 2025.
“We have a big summer with the national team. I’m excited for that,” the 27-year-old combo forward pointed out in an end-of-season interview on Monday.
“Those are the years I have always felt best physically and mentally, to be honest. You’re getting game reps right before the NBA season starts. That kind of gets me excited for the summer, for being able to play for your country and how that’s going to lead up into the NBA season,” he added on the impact of FIBA action before the next NBA campaign.
Back in the EuroBasket 2017, in his introduction to the senior national team of Finland, he suited for the national team in Helsinki. The EuroBasket 2025 resurfaces Finland as the host of Group B in Tampere. Looking to clinch a berth in the Round of 16, Finland will face Sweden, Great Britain, Montenegro, Lithuania, and Germany from August 27 to September 3.
“It was packed house every night, a lot of fun and really competitive games,” the Vantaa native recalled the 2017 tournament between the top European national teams, “I’m looking forward to build on that. I think we have a really good team. Hopefully, we can create some buzz and kind of make a big run.”
In the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season, Markkanen was limited to 47 games due to various setbacks. His averages fell to 18.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per contest as the Jazz quickly fell out of playoff contention. “You just try to get better every day. That’s all you can do,” he said.
“I feel like what I did last summer, signing here, kind of tells you the confidence I have in the organization and the guys we have,” he talked about his future with the Jazz, based on commitment until the end of the 2028-29 season, “We’ll see what happens in the summer. There are things you can’t control. But I love being in here, working with the guys we have and building this thing as an old guy.”