Mar 17, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) shoots a technical free throw during the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen Lands New Spot on ESPN’s EuroBasket List

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 1:44 PM ET

Earlier this week, ESPN unveiled its ranking of the top 10 NBA players appearing in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament, including some of the best international guys in the league like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic, who inevitably wound up rounding out the top three.

Lauri Markkanen, to the surprise of Utah Jazz fans, was not included in the initial rankings, but now, he's found an updated placement with the tournament's official startup happening later next week.

Among the top NBA players playing within EuroBasket, ESPN's Neil Payne ranked Markkanen as the seventh-best player in the field.

"Markkanen was one of the NBA's most impressive players in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, even reaching the level of performance that made him a possible member of a championship-contending core by historical NBA standards," Paine wrote. "But last season he experienced drops across nearly all of his metrics, resulting in a below-average estimated RAPTOR (minus-0.5).

"He still projects as an above-average player based on his strengths, but he needs to bounce back this season to return to that star track from before. And if his performance in pre-tournament friendlies is any indication -- he had 42 points and 12 rebounds against Poland earlier in the week -- Markkanen might be motivated for another big performance in the tournament."

Certainly, it's a step in the right direction for Markkanen, who's been on a tear during the EuroBasket preparation games leading up to the real action, and now finds the due credit he deserves.

Markkanen has taken the EuroBasket by storm in his first few weeks suiting up. So far, Finland has kicked off their preparation games with an undefeated 4-0 start, coming from the help of Markkanen and his staggering 31.7 points a night, highlighted by a pair of 40-point bombs to set him apart as one of the most impressive names taking the stage in the tournament.

With the exhibition games now in the books, the focus for Markkanen and Finland now turns to the group stage, where they'll begin with a meeting against Sweden. In that same group also reside Great Britain, Montenegro, Lithuania, and Germany, headlined by Orlando Magic star Franz Wagner.

Markkanen will have a chance to capitalize even further with a dominant performance as the group stage officially kicks off on Wednesday, August 27th.