Lauri Markkanen had to be traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers to find his All-Star form

Lauri Markkanen has led the Utah Jazz to the 2nd best record in the NBA

The Utah Jazz are looking pretty legit. The team is the top seed in the Western Conference and has the second-best record in the league behind the stellar play of former Cleveland Cavaliers’ forward Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen spent four seasons in Chicago before the Cavaliers signed him to a deal. He was later dealt to the Jazz for Donovan Mitchell alongside some other players.

Since arriving in Utah, Markkanen, who was rumored to not be a long-term piece of the team, has averaged 22.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and a true shooting percentage of 64%. He’s been playing solid defense as well, and while he isn’t putting up huge gaudy stats in that arena, he’s right around his historic average.

The Cavs are in a place right now where they could use a guy like Markkanen. Caris LeVert is very uneven offensively but has played good defense, but despite the need for Markkanen as an upgrade over LeVert, the reality is Markkanen would’ve never been this good in Cleveland. Can Markkanen sustain the production? Maybe, but should he be able to it’s important to note that in Cleveland he was the fifth or sixth option at times last year.

Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and even Kevin Love all got priority over Markkannen. In Utah, he’s 1 of 1. The first time in his career in the NBA that a team built itself around him. It’s paying off too. The team is playing well, and it’s largely because the Jazz are making him the focal point.

It doesn’t hurt that he’s surrounded by a group of really impressive complimentary pieces that add to his game. You have a solid forward/center in Kelly Olynyk who can space the court some and they have a future defensive mega star in Walker Kessler behind them. Kessler has been a big reason for the team’s success, averaging six points, five rebounds, and nearly two blocks all in less than 15 minutes of action.

Lauri Markkanen is the only former Cleveland Cavaliers player making waves

For as good as Markkanen has been for the Jazz, that’s how unimpressive Collin Sexton has been. Sexton was once seen as the centerpiece of the trade for the Jazz. While he’s shooting well (.460/.381/.836), he’s not been a major impact on the team. He’s third on the team, sure but he’s only averaging 13.7 points per game. That said, he’s fit in well defensively, as he’s posting a RAPTOR score of 0.7 on the defensive side of the line.

Sexton will likely improve as he continues to heal from his injuries, but how much better he gets is anyone’s guess.

The Cavaliers’ rookie selection from the 2022 NBA Draft, Ochai Agbaji has made zero impact since arriving in Utah. He’s only played 67 minutes total and has RAPTOR scores of -8.3 and +5.3 on offense and defense respectively. Neither is a sign of his play, more just how little he’s played. Such extreme numbers indicate he’s seen very little action.

Is that due to him not being polished, or him not being good? He’s only taken six shots from three so far in his career and he’s missed all of them. Are the Jazz really banking on him to turn into something, or will they flip Agbaji if a trade were to develop?

We’re only a dozen-odd games into the season, so we’re all just guessing.