The defending champion Golden State Warriors are 9-10, clawing their way out of an early season slump back towards .500. Meanwhile the Utah Jazz, preemptively left for dead after shipping out franchise cornerstones Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, have started well with 12-8 record.
These two teams collide in San Francisco Friday evening in a race to see who can get over the Thanksgiving-itis first.
November 25th, 2022 | 7:00 PT
Watch: NBC Sports Bay Area | Listen: 95.7 The Game
Lauri Markkanen has been balling for Utah since arriving from Cleveland. He’s shooting 53% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc. This former lottery pick was drafted in 2017 and is finally showing signs of realizing the potential of being a 7-foot stretch big.
Here’s his draft profile from Draft Express:
Its Markkanen’s tremendous offensive ability at 7-feet tall that makes him such an interesting prospect. A versatile jump shooter, the freshman did the majority of his scoring in spot up and pick and pop situations, but also used his athleticism to attack closeouts, score on put backs, flashed face-up ability in the midrange, made shots off the dribble at a nice rate, and was even utilized off ball screens.
NBA scout: “Lauri Markkanen is killing it, and I’m really happy for him. This is what we thought Lauri Markkanen would be when the Bulls took him [at No. 7 overall]. It took some time, but this is the guy we thought he might become.” https://t.co/9vsAcACu6L
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) November 19, 2022
Interesting how it can a while for big man prospects to develop (for those watching Golden State youngster James Wiseman in the G-League with an eagle eye). I’m looking forward to how Draymond Green and Kevon Looney take turns battling against Markkanen and keeping him from getting easy points.
The Dubs have won five out of their last seven contests against the Jazz; let’s see if they can get another win over their Western Conference foes this holiday weekend.
Poll
Who ya got, Jazz or Warriors?
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8%
Jazz, they are playing really well right now
(6 votes)
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91%
Warriors, they don’t lose at home!
(61 votes)
67 votes total
Vote Now
Read More: Preview: Warriors vs Jazz, start time and how to watch