2. Join the 50-40-90 club
This is an exclusive club of NBA sharpshooters. Only seven players in NBA history have shot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point land and 90 percent from the free throw line.
This would put Markkanen in the company of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Larry Bird, to name a few. It’s a lofty goal for Markkanen to attain this level of accuracy in just his second season, but he has the ability to do so. In his last season at Arizona, he shot 49.2 percent from the field, 42.3 percent from downtown and 83.5 percent from the charity stripe.
For Markkanen to reach this goal, he will need to especially improve from mid-range. Last season, the big man averaged 33 percent from inside the arc, including 30 percent from short mid-range. It appears that Markkanen has beefed up this summer, which will make him tough to stop at the rim.
https://twitter.com/MarkkanenLauri/status/1009464492688855040
As he builds confidence in his mid-range game and off-the-dribble shooting, defenders will have to give him more respect. This will only make his 3-point shooting even more dangerous. Last season, Markkanen shot 36 percent from 3-point range and should be even better in 2018-19. With Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker on the same team, Markkanen should have plenty of opportunities for wide open kick-outs for 3.