J.B. Bickerstaff: Former Cavs Forward 'Allowed Us To Change The Game'

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke highly of Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen's time with the organization earlier this week.

When the Utah Jazz came to town on Wednesday night, it was the Cleveland Cavaliers' opportunity to show appreciation for their former players. 

It was Collin Sexton's first game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in over two years, and the team put together a nice video package of his best moments on and off the court, which elicited an ovation of appreciation from the fans in the building.

But before the game, in addition to praising Sexton's contributions for his time with the organization, Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke glowingly of Lauri Markkanen's one-year stint with them.

"To be frank, Lauri allowed us to kind of change the game of basketball," Bickerstaff said. "We went back to the big lineup, which a lot of people weren't playing at the time. We were allowed to play him at the three man with Evan [Mobley] and Jarrett [Allen] on the floor. 

"To have three seven-footers out there made us something tough to deal with. And now you kind of take a look around the league and more teams are trying to play with those bigger lineups."

Bickerstaff stated that Markkanen allowed Cleveland to experiment in different ways.

"We would put him on point guards just so we could just switch things. And now, you've got a seven-footer switched onto another seven-footer with another seven-footer switched onto a guard. He allowed us to do those things because he accepted all the challenges. He wouldn't say no to any assignment. 

"And then, you've seen it obviously continue to grow in Utah, to become an All-Star and have the impact that he's had on that team from a scoring standpoint, rebounding, all those things. He was a big part of us taking a step, and I think he'll do the same for Utah long-term."

Dec 20, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (12) defends Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

It's hard to argue with Bickerstaff's points, as Markkanen's outside-the-box usage has become commonplace. The Finnish star is a hot name on the NBA trade market, but the Jazz are reportedly looking for a king's ransom in return.

Markkanen is averaging 23.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game on 62.6 percent True Shooting. He's attempting over eight threes a night, knocking them down at a 38.1 percent clip.