Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen Named NBA's Most Improved Player
On Monday, Utah Jazz All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen was announced as the winner of the NBA's coveted Most Improved Player Award. It marks the first time that a Jazz player has ever won the award.
Markkanen sent a message to Jazz Nation from Helsinki in response to the news.
"Jazz fans, thank you for your support," Markkanen said. "[I] couldn't do it without you. This is just the beginning and I can't wait to see you again next year. Go Jazz!"
The 7-foot Markkanen arrived in Utah last summer by way of the blockbuster Donovan Mitchell trade, which not only ended up being an All-Star exchange, but also landed the Jazz Collin Sexton and multiple premium draft picks.
Markkanen, who's currently serving his mandatory military service in Finland, was a revelation in Year 1 in Utah. He averaged 26.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Without 'The Finnisher,' Utah's 2022-23 season probably would have met the consensus preseason expectation of tanking all the way to the lottery. Markkanen was a big reason Utah was competitively relevant all the way down to the last week of the season.
Alongside Jordan Clarkson early on, Markkanen set the tone for the Jazz and helped make the team one of the NBA's biggest stories of the first half of the season.
It'll be fun to see what the future holds for Markkanen and the Jazz, with Will Hardy set to lead the team into his second year as head coach.
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