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SALT LAKE CITY — Lauri Markkanen is a proud Finnish citizen. That doesn't mean he likes to be in the snow.
In the first week of May, the Jazz forward, sporting a freshly buzzed haircut and a Finnish Defense Forces uniform, emerged from his military tent to find snow blanketing the ground.
It was a different way to spend an offseason.
"Believe it or not, even though I'm from Finland, I'm not that happy in the cold," Markkanen confessed Monday. "That was a pretty freezing moment."
Markkanen, ever the optimist, quickly added, "but it was not that bad."
Markkanen fulfilled his mandatory military service this summer in Finland, learning basic survival skills, spending time on the shooting range (not with basketballs), and learning how to work as a team.
It challenged him physically. It tested him mentally. It forced him out of his comfort zone.
In the end, the weeks battling the snow and training in the military may just serve as a catalyst for another step in his basketball career.
"I think it's a good experience for me to have as a leader moving forward," Markkanen said.
Markkanen has a dry wit. He uses "Harry Potter" quotes to tease teammate Micah Potter, and his press conferences with Walker Kessler last season became a comedy hour. That sense of humor was in full display Monday during the Utah Jazz's media day. After he mentioned the shooting range as part of training, the follow-up question was obvious: How was your shooting?
"Forty percent? Somewhere in there?" a reporter asked, a number referencing Markkanen's 3-point percentage.
The All-Star forward tilted his head ever so slightly and said, "Hopefully a little bit better than that."
Yes, he's funny, but he's also reserved. Markkanen is an introvert. He's not the guy to give a rah-rah speech in the locker room or to cuss out a teammate at practice. The Jazz don't necessarily need that, but they do need him to be a leader.
Kaartinjääkäri Markkanen out! 🫡☀️ pic.twitter.com/6jFfHcssgt
— Lauri Markkanen (@MarkkanenLauri) September 29, 2023
Markkanen adapted to a new role last year. Never before — in the NBA, at least — had he been considered a No. 1 option; the Jazz made him one. Soon, he was an All-Star and the winner of the Most Improved Player award. Now, the Jazz are asking him to adapt again — not so much on the court, but a bit off of it.
"He's a leader now," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "I think he's ready for that role."
Hardy has had plenty of conversations with his still-young star about taking on that mantle. He's explained to him that there are times that people are going to be looking his way, even when he'd prefer they'd glance elsewhere. It matters how Markkanen reacts to situations in games, how he responds to seeing film, and how he prepares for practice. His teammates will notice.
"He's getting used to sort of carrying that weight," Hardy said.
There will be times the new role could take Markkanen out of his comfort zone — something he's gotten used to this summer. When those moments come, he'll think of those cold May mornings, crawling out to face the snow in a completely new environment.
"It made you uncomfortable at times, and I kind of learned how to get through that stuff," he said. "That was like totally a different thing to kind of learn new skills and kind of how to get through the situation, individually and then as a group. So I think that was the challenging part — being expected to lead and survive with the stuff that I've never done before."
