When the Utah Jazz traded Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers this past September, forward Lauri Markkanen was almost an afterthought for observers assessing the return haul.
There was excitement about the three unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps. High-scoring guard Collin Sexton being included via sign-and-trade was a big deal. And there was intrigue around just-drafted 3-and-D wing Ochai Agbaji, coming off a huge performance in the NCAA’s Final Four weekend.
As for Markkanen … he was considered a nice if somewhat underachieving player.
And now, nearly nine months later, following his sixth season in the league, he’s something else altogether: the NBA’s Most Improved Player.
On Monday evening, the league announced that the native of Finland had beaten out Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson to win the award.
Among the 100 ballots cast by international, national, and local NBA reporters, …