Jazz F Lauri Markkanen Says Body Has ‘Taken Some Hits’ in FIBA Play

The Utah Jazz might need to monitor the health of their All-Star forward.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup marks an exciting time for basketball fans, as a collection of some of the best basketball players across the planet competes for their country to go for the glory and win the cup. However, with injuries being so present in today’s NBA, players and their respective franchises both have some outlying risk when putting this added wear and tear on the body.

It’s very apparent in the case of Lauri Markkanen, as he has decided to sit out tonight’s exhibition game vs. Latvia. According to Basket.fi the Utah Jazz All-Star is playing things safe after his body took "some hits" in their last games played:

Lauri Markkanen of #Susijengi will be sidelined vs. 🇱🇻.

“My body has taken some hits in recent games. I’d love to play tonight, but after morning practice we had internal talks and decided that it’s best to give the body a few days to recover before we leave for World Cup.” pic.twitter.com/GkOGlSiiRo

— Basketball Finland (@basketfinland) August 16, 2023

“My body has taken some hits in recent games. I’d love to play tonight, but after morning practice we had internal talks and decided that it’s best to give the body a few days to recover before we leave for World Cup.”

While this looks to be a minor issue for Markkannen to fully heal before playing in the World Cup on the surface, Jazz fans can’t help but clinch their teeth just a bit with his statement. The next NBA regular season is coming around the corner, meaning Utah cannot afford their best player banged up leading into next year.

He’s coming off a career-best season where he averaged 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, shooting with elite efficiency (49.9/39.1/87.5). Some valuable playing time in the World Cup could be just what Markkanen needs to take another step up on the court, just like he has before at the international level.

A lot of opportunity is on the table, but it can’t come at the cost of his NBA availability.

Especially with a player of unique size and ability like Markkanen, his long-term health should be a priority to maintain in the best shape possible. We just saw another lanky, European big man sustain a foot injury during preparation for this tournament in Boston Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis. If anything, that should prove as a cautionary tale to follow for Finland and the Jazz.

Boston Celtics say Kristaps Porzingis will go through four-to-six-weeks of rehab for plantar fasciitis and is expected to be cleared for start of training camp.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 16, 2023

A few days rest could be what Lauri needs before intensity starts ramping up before the World Cup officially kicks off Friday, August 25th. As Jazz fans look ahead to next season, tuning in to watch Markkanen compete on the world stage might be the best way to pass the time.

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