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SALT LAKE CITY — Rick Carlisle still remembers when Lauri Markkanen came in for a pre-draft workout in 2017 when the Indiana Pacers coach was with the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas had the ninth pick and Carlisle thought there was a chance Markkanen could slide to the Mavs.
After the workout, though, he knew that was a fool's hope.
"Athletically, he tested much better than expected; much more powerful, much (better) in all those different metrics," Carlisle said.
Seven years later, Markkanen is still impressing Carlisle.
"He's the closest thing that I've seen to (Dirk) Nowitzki — just in terms of a 7-footer that can really stretch the game out and play inside," Carlisle said Monday before the Jazz-Pacers game.
That's some high praise from a coach who saw Nowitzki up close for 11 seasons.
Markkanen was named the Western Conference Player of the Week Monday after the Jazz posted a perfect 4-0 record. Markkanen averaged 24.5 points and 11 rebounds and shot 48.5% from 3-point range during the week.
Those are numbers that matched — or exceeded — even Nowitzki's best runs.
"People have tried to put bigger guys on him, smaller guys on him," Carlisle said of the Jazz star. "He shoots over the smaller guys and he outcrafts the big guys. He's tough. He's a much tougher player than you may think looking at him. He's tall and slender, but he's rugged. So he's a major, major problem."
He was a "major, major problem" once again Monday in Utah's 132-105 win over the Pacers. Markkanen had 32 points on 10-of-15 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win. He did that without playing a single minute in the fourth quarter, too.
"That is nice," Markkanen said when he was told of Carlisle's Nowitzki comparison. "It feels good. He's a Hall of Famer, so I don't think it's easy to live up to that. I think there are similarities but still a long way to go. It's nice for him say, and it gives me more motivation to get better."
Seeing how the Jazz have used Markkanen this season has reminded Carlisle of how he used to plan his offense around Nowitzki. The two spent 11 seasons together in Dallas — where they regularly were a top offense in the league — and won a championship in 2011.
"Will (Hardy) is a super creative, offensive coach, and they do things that are completely different than the entire league is doing because of Markkanen's abilities, and that's how it was in Dallas, too," Carlisle said. "We were doing things with Dirk because there was no one else like him."
The Mavericks used Nowitzki's devastating one-footed fadeaway to open up so many other things. No one else was doing that.
The Jazz run Markkanen off screens to get him open for a deep 3-pointer. Even in today's game, that is pretty uncommon.
"Six or seven years ago, people are looking at you crazy, but that's how good this guy is," Carlisle said. "And if you think about it, off the move, that distance, catch, get your balance — all of it speaks to his strength and his balance and all that kind of stuff, and, obviously, his skill."
Carlisle said the game has changed in such a way to be almost tailor-made for Markkanen's skillset; he's a big man with a lightning-quick shot and nearly unlimited range with the athleticism to attack the rim, too. It's a good combo to have.
"The game has evolved to a place that meets his ability and strength," he said. "The guy's an amazing player and he makes it look easy."
He sure did on Monday.
"It's a compliment to be compared to him but he was his own player, I'm me," Markkanen said. "I'm just trying to get better at things that I do, but, obviously, it's great to hear that kind of stuff."
