Finland’s Lauri Markkanen celebrates after profitable through the Eurobasket group D basketball match between Czech Republic and Finland in Prague, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. Petr David Josek, Related Press
Eurobasket is a large 24-team basketball event of countries in Europe each 4 years, and on the 2022 iteration that's close to conclusion, two of the Utah Jazz’s new gamers, together with Bojan Bogdanovic, carried out extremely properly.
Ahead Lauri Markkanen was implausible in main Finland to the quarterfinals, the place it misplaced to Spain, whereas Simone Fontecchio was wonderful for Italy because it additionally made the quarterfinals earlier than dropping to former Jazz heart Rudy Gobert and France.
Bogdanovic was additionally excellent for Croatia, which misplaced within the spherical of 16 to Markkanen and Finland.
In a event that has featured a ton of NBA expertise and All-Stars in Gobert, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic, Markkanen is primed to complete second in scoring behind solely Antetokounmpo at 27.9 factors per recreation (the semifinals and closing stay).
In three of Finland’s seven video games, Markkanen eclipsed the 30-point mark, and within the contest towards Croatia, he scored 43 factors, which is a Finnish all-time file at a significant worldwide event.
“He’s actually coming into his personal,” Jazz CEO Danny Ainge stated earlier this week. “We’re seeing issues in him, grabbing rebounds and going coast-to-coast with the dribble. These are stuff you haven’t actually seen out of Lauri but, and so we’re enthusiastic about his future.”
Fontecchio, a relative unknown in america earlier than signing with the Jazz this summer time, is primed to complete eighth in scoring on the event with a median of 19.4 factors per recreation.
The 6-foot-7 Italian has been billed as a wonderful shooter, and he confirmed that all through the event, as he shot over 45% from past the arc. His finest scoring outing of the event was a 26-point efficiency towards Antetokounmpo and Greece within the group stage.
As for Bogdanovic, he completed proper behind Fontecchio in scoring at 19.2 factors per recreation, with a excessive of 27 on two events in back-to-back contests within the group stage, one towards Fontecchio and Italy and the second versus Ukraine.
The semifinals of the event will likely be performed on Friday in Berlin, with Germany taking up Spain after which Gobert and France dealing with Poland.
The championship recreation will likely be on Sunday in Berlin.