Averaged 30.6 points per game! Can Markkanen return to the All-Star this season?

Markkanen is a bit fierce this season.

In the Jazz's last regular season game, they defeated the Bulls 150-147 at home. Markkanen once again delivered a high-scoring performance: playing 46 minutes, he made 15 of 33 shots, 6 of 17 three-pointers, 11 of 13 free throws, and scored 47 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

It was not easy for the Jazz to win this game. It took two overtimes to defeat their opponent. Markkanen scored 18 points in the first half, 13 points in the third quarter and 12 points in the fourth quarter. At the end of regular time, he had scored 43 points;

It is a pity that Markkanen only scored a total of 4 points in the two overtimes - Keyonte George became the Jazz's biggest contributor to the overtime victory. He scored 11 points in the two overtimes (the team had 23 points) and made a three-pointer with 0.8 seconds left in the second overtime.

Returning to Markkanen, although he missed the second 50-point score in his career, he really showed a lot in this game: layups/dunks on layups, three-pointers after catching the ball, three-pointers after pick-and-rolls, turnaround jumpers with the ball, and layups/fouls with the ball.

Compared with attacking with the ball, Markkanen's most eye-catching ability is his ability without the ball. He is definitely the top scoring machine without the ball in active service. He is 2.16 meters tall, has the body of a center, and can run and break through like a defender. No matter who he faces, he is naturally out of position.

It needs to be said that this is not the first time Markkanen has shown his scoring ability this season.

In the last game, the Jazz lost to the Hawks at home, but Markkanen scored 15 points in the first quarter, 15 of 25 from the field, 6 of 12 three-pointers, 4 of 4 free throws, and scored 40 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. The Jazz lost by 10 points, but Markkanen's plus-minus value was +4.

In the previous game, the Jazz defeated the Pacers at home by 24 points. Markkanen played less than 35 minutes in the game, shooting 13 of 19, 5 of 7 three-pointers, 4 of 5 free throws, and scored 35 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists - in the third quarter, he scored 17 points in a single quarter.

Going back to the beginning of the season, when the Jazz narrowly defeated the Suns at home, Markkanen made 14 of 32, 6 of 13 three-pointers, and 17 of 17 free throws. He scored 51 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists in the fourth quarter + overtime. In this fourth quarter + overtime, Markkanen scored 20 points alone. At the end of the overtime, it was he who made two free throws to kill the game.

So far this season, Markkanen's report card is: playing 13 games with full attendance, scoring 40+ points in 3 games (a total of 6 games so far in his career), tied for second in the league with Curry.

Averaged 36.2 minutes per game, 30.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists. His scoring currently ranks fifth in the league, only lower than Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alexander, and Maxi, and surpassed Mitchell, Jokic and others.

Makarnin's efficiency is also very good. Currently, his three-point shooting percentage is 47.9%/38.9%/88..0%, and his true shooting percentage is 62.1%. He is one of the best three-pointers this season, averaging 3.8 three-pointers, which is the fourth most in the league per game.

For comparison, last season's Markkanen averaged 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, with three shooting percentages of 42.3%/34.6%/87.6% and a true shooting percentage of 57.1%. Compared with last season, Markkanen's scoring increased by a full 11.6 points. What is the concept of

? The 2022-23 season was a season of transformation for Markkanen. At that time, he was traded by the Cavaliers to the Jazz. Subsequently, his scoring average increased from 14.8 points in the previous season to 25.6 points. He was selected to the All-Star + was elected as the Most Improved Player for the first time. This season, his scoring improvement is even higher than that season (10.8 points).

Watch it again and make the fastest progress? Obviously it is impossible, but it is entirely possible to return to the All-Stars. He is definitely at All-Star level in terms of statistics. The difficulty lies in the record. The Jazz currently only have 5 wins and 8 losses and are ranked 10th in the Western Conference. From the past years, the All-Star substitutes are very dependent on the record, so Markkanen needs to win more games before the All-Stars.

What needs to be said is that this year’s All-Star reform will ensure that at least 8 players are selected for the World Team. Judging from Markkanen’s FIBA ​​performance, he is definitely one of the top 8 stars in the international arena and should also belong to the All-Star stage.

Markkanen's outbreak was a bit unexpected, but there were also signs.

The surprising thing is that after playing the All-Star + Most Improved Player season in 2023, his performance has declined for two consecutive years. In addition, he has re-signed a large contract with the Jazz and suddenly regressed last season. It is inevitable that people will doubt whether he is a flash in the pan.

Especially when Angie said that he needed multiple first-round picks (similar to the Bridges trade, 5 first-round picks) to get Markkanen, everyone thought Angie was crazy. But in fact, this season, Markkanen really has the ability to pick multiple first-round picks, and his adaptability is very good - I have always felt that if the Spurs use 4 first-round rotations for Fox, it is better to add more to replace Markkanen. It is a pity not to change.

The reason why there are signs is because Markkanen performed very well in this year's European Championship, averaging 23.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, and led the Finnish men's basketball team to the semi-finals of the European Championship for the first time in history.

If you still remember, before the outbreak of the 2022-23 season, Markkanen first broke out in the European Championships, and then had his best season in the NBA. This year is somewhat similar.

I hope Markkanen can maintain his current performance and this year's goal is to return to the All-Stars. If any other team is staring at him and really considers taking action, maybe in February, Markkanen will usher in a new chapter in his career.