Dirk Nowitzki Believes Lauri Markkanen And Kristaps Porzingis Possess ‘The Same Upside’


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When the Chicago Bulls spent the seventh pick in the 2017 NBA Draft on Arizona big man Lauri Markkanen, the team came under plenty of scrutiny. Markkanen was a nice prospect, but for a team that had just traded away Jimmy Butler, it seemed like the Bulls could have made a bigger splash than a stretch five who appeared to have limited upside.

Since he’s taken the floor, though, Markkanen has turned into a productive player for the Bulls, averaging 15 points and 7.6 rebounds in about 30 minutes per game. And on Friday night, the native of Finland impressed the greatest international player in NBA history.

Markkanen had 16 points and nine rebounds in Chicago’s 127-124 win over Dallas. After the game, Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki praised the rookie, comparing his upside to that of Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis.

“It’s amazing all the talent that keeps flooding in from Europe now with Porzingis obviously coming Sunday, who’s on an amazing run already,” Nowitzki said. “This kid has got the same upside. He’s not quite as long as Porzingis, but I mean that offensive game is already very polished. Shoots it with range, seems confident out there. He’s gonna be great for a long time.”

Porzingis is considered to be a player with the potential to be a future face of the league, and seeing as how Nowitzki has said that he believes it’s “scary” how good Porzingis can be, this is really high praise for what Markkanen can do on the basketball court.

(Via Bleacher Report)

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