Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — On a September day, Lauri Markkanen did what he so often does: play disc golf.
Markkanen is an avid discer and is even friends with six-time world champion Paul McBeth. It's not strange to see him on the course.
On this September day, though, it caught some attention. Markkanen was paired with another solo player, who posted about the experience on Reddit.
"I don't really follow sports, I didn't know who he was until we started chatting. It was Lauri Markkanen. He is incredibly humble and down-to-earth, and he absolutely rips it in the disc golf course," the poster said.
He said the two played a full 18 holes together and that he was "retrospectively starstruck" after he went home and searched his name.
"I genuinely don't think he knew who I was," Markkanen said of the encounter. "So that was a pretty fun moment. We had a great time. We probably spent an hour and a half together just talking about life, and so it was pretty cool. Shout out to him."
That's Lauri Markkanen, the unassuming Jazz star, who begins his third year with the franchise in Wednesday's season opener against Memphis.
He befriends a stranger at a disc golf course and berates the media for not asking enough about Harry Potter. He is secretive about his favorite fly fishing spots, and turned down a chance to be on a Netflix documentary to keep his family life private.
Oh, and he can go and dominate an NBA game.
It all sounds pretty, well, Utahn (except for maybe dominate the NBA game part).
But even for the private Markkanen, it was difficult to avoid the constant rumors this summer. Golden State was especially interested, drawing up a plan to bring him in with Paul George to help keep Steph Curry's title window open. But the Warriors weren't alone in their interest for Markkanen.
The thought was simple: Markkanen was an All-Star level player on a Utah team at the beginning of a rebuild. He had to be available, right?
On Aug. 7, Markkanen signed a long-term deal with the Jazz, assuring, at the very least, he would be in Utah for one more full season. By signing when he did, he made it so the Jazz couldn't move him until after the trade deadline; the timing wasn't a coincidence. He wanted a break from the rumor mill, and he genuinely likes being in Utah.
"I'm an outdoor person. I love being here," he said. "Everything's close and my family loves it here. I know what people say around the NBA, that there's nothing to do or whatever, but that's not really true at all. I could spend the whole summer here if I needed to and would have no problem with it. ... I love it."
Markkanen spent the summer actively avoiding any news or rumors. He figured nothing would be resolved until August anyway, so he'd try to stay off social media and instead hit the gym, the river, the disc golf course and just spend time with his family.
"It wasn't really that stressful, but I'm happy that got done relatively quickly," he said.
Even with Markkanen locked up on a new deal, there are questions about where he fits on the Jazz's timeline. Utah has seven players 23 years or younger, and the organization has made it clear this season's top priority is development.
That's good for the future, yes, but Markkanen is ready to win now.
He turned 27 this offseason and has never made the playoffs; that's something he wants to experience. Yet, the best thing for the Jazz would be to see their young players develop and end the season with a chance at the No. 1 pick. That puts Markkanen in a strange spot, but he's confident things will work out.
"I'm trusting those guys," he said of Utah's front office. "We have good people in this building that's proven that they can get the job done. So I'm worrying about myself and my teammates and just getting better."
On that note, the Jazz see Markkanen as someone who can help push the young players. When defenses load up to stop Markkanen, it gives more space for everyone else to operate. Markkanen makes everyone's life easier on the court.
His desire to stick around in Utah, even when other options could have been on the table, isn't lost on the organization, either.
"When the best player on the team wants to be here, he wants to be in Utah, he believes in what we're doing … it's big for us because it also helps our ecosystem function," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "There's no question when we take the floor who the best player on the team is, and there's responsibility that comes with that.
"Lauri is fully capable and ready for that. But him re-signing this summer was great for our team, sort of the psyche of the team and the group. But I think more than anything, it just shows that Lauri's committed to the Jazz, committed to Utah, and he really believes in what we're doing."
Markkanen has seen his career blossom in Utah. He's gone from a slightly disappointing lottery pick to a player who could potentially make an All-NBA team. He still thinks there's more room to grow. He wants to finish out games at a high level and truly turn into an elite No. 1 option in the league.
"I think he's ready for that," Jordan Clarkson said. "We've had conversations, talked to him multiple times. … I think everybody's pushing him towards that."
So what makes Clarkson so confident in Markkanen? The veteran swingman paused before answering.
"I don't want to cuss, but that (he most definitely cussed) was in the military!" Clarkson said. "That is an honest answer. He's ready for whatever. Lauri's ready for anything you throw on his plate. And I think he's, he's ready for it. ... This new Lauri is just, yeah, I love it."
And Markkanen loves being in Utah. Whether that's on the court ... or meeting new friends on a disc golf course ... or letting his mind drift away standing in a river fishing.
"Just being in nature, that's a big thing for me," he said. That's kind of — I don't know if humbling is the right word, but I can't find a better one now — but just being in nature and not having to worry about anything else. You're just focusing on getting something to eat."
