Utah Jazz's Lauri Markkanen Reacts to Loss vs. Giannis, Greece

For Markkanen, the past few weeks within Finland's run to the semi-finals proved one thing: anything is possible.

"We can do anything as a team. We stick together, we play for each other, we play for the country," Markkanen said after Finland's loss on Sunday. "That's the one takeaway from this tournament. You never give up, you play for the name on front of the jersey, anything is possible. It wasn't quite enough today, but it gives us boost and motivation for the future."

For Markkanen and Finland, it's their first-ever time reaching the semi-finals of the bracket, and just their third time reaching the quarter-finals– their last appearance coming with Markkanen on board in 2022 ahead of his NBA's Most Improved Player campaign.

Markkanen finishes his hot streak in this tournament, averaging 23.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, also posting over two steals a night in the process. Markkanen was the fourth-leading scorer among EuroBasket players, following only Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Deni Avdija.

On Sunday vs. Greece, Markkanen would finish his time at EuroBasket playing in 31 minutes to log 19 points, ten rebounds, and one assist, leading the way for Finland in scoring.

Now, after some overseas heroics, Markkanen will turn the page to the NBA regular season that looms just over a month away. He'll have just over two weeks to get some rest before Jazz training camps get rolling alongside the rest of the league at the end of September.