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SALT LAKE CITY — Jazz coach Will Hardy watched from afar as Lauri Markkanen put Europe on notice. In a tournament with some of the best players in the world — including Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic — Markkanen was able to steal at least some of the headlines.
He was phenomenal, plain and simple, as he led Finland into a surprising berth into the quarterfinals. His averages in six games: 27.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 54% shooting from the field and 40% from the 3-point line.
He was a star among stars.
When Markkanen arrived in Utah, one of the first things Hardy told him was to be that same guy with the Jazz. He had done it against teams full of NBA caliber players; Hardy saw no reason why it couldn't translate in the United States.
It did. And, once again, Markkanen has risen to the top.
The Utah Jazz will be represented when they host the All-Star Game on Feb. 19. On Thursday, Markkanen was selected to his first All-Star game, earning one of the reserve spots in the Western Conference.
"Him saying that the first day I arrived here we just need the same version that I was playing overseas, it gave me the confidence to go out there and do it," Markkanen said.
He's done it and then some.
Markkanen has averaged 24.9 points and 8.3 rebounds so far this season, and has been one of the most efficient offensive players in the league. He's flirting with the famed 50-40-90 club, shooting 52% from the field, 43% from the 3-point line (on 7.2 attempts per game), and 87.5% from the free-throw line.
"He deserves it," Mike Conley said. "He's done everything for us. He's our guy."
Even as teams have adjusted to him being a No. 1 option, Markkanen has adjusted his game in order to be successful. He's the top of every scoring report, yet, has still managed to score 20 or more points in the last 19 games.
"Lauri's growth, in terms of how he's thinking the game offensively, has been fun to be up close to every day," Hardy said. "We've seen the games where he makes 7-8 threes. And those are nice, but you can't rely on that life. If your life is all jump shots, life is hard. And he has so much more to give."
WIth Markkanen leading the way, the Jazz have stayed in playoff contention — something few people expected at the beginning of the season. To Hardy, Markkanen's selection is some vindication for a team that few believed in at the beginning of the season.
"I think it says a lot about our group," he said. "Whatever anybody thought of our players, when trades were made, whatever anybody thought of our team before the season started I would say a lot of those people were wrong. And Lauri being an All-Star (is) a giant stamp on that."
Thursday was a big moment for Markkanen. Ever since he got drafted with the No. 7 pick in the 2017 draft, he saw himself as a player who could one day reach this level. It took him longer than he would have hoped, but that just gives him more confidence that he can keep improving.
"There's a lot of things I can get better at to make even more of an impact," Markkanen said.
