In Finland's 94-86 victory over Croatia in the EuroBasket on Sunday, Lauri Markkanen scored 43 points on 19 of 29 attempts and three 3-pointers.
In what was essentially the game of his life, he added nine rebounds, three assists, three steals, and zero turnovers in 32 minutes.
Markkanen, only 25 years old, has only played in 52, 50, 51, and 61 games each of the last four seasons due to injury.
After averaging 18.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.3 3-pointers for the Bulls during the 2018–19 season, there was a lot of buzz and promise surrounding Markkanen. However, his scoring drastically declined during the following three seasons, as he didn't average more than 14.8 points in any of them.
This season, he'll get a fresh start with the Jazz in Utah, and they're hopeful that his impressive EuroBasket performance will carry over to his new campaign. He'll probably split playing time in Utah with Jarred Vanderbilt, but Markkanen seems to be the front-runner to get the start.
If Markkanen can stay healthy, his scoring outburst on Sunday and several great dunks could result in some buzz for him this season, and he might end up being a good fantasy sleeper. After his impressive EuroBasket campaign, he should enter the season with unmatched confidence.
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