5 players who deserve to be first time NBA All-Stars in 2023

3. F Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz

Turns out, all Lauri Markkanen needed to become an All-Star was a change of scenery. It may result in the Utah Jazz failing to win Victor Wembanyama, but that’s the price of exceeding expectations.

Markkanen arrived in Salt Lake City with plenty of baggage from his first two stops with the Chicago Bulls and Cavs. He’s been perfectly serviceable at both places, but never broke through in the way expected.

This year, the Arizona Wildcats alum has arrived, unburdened by the expectations for a franchise expecting nothing but losing this season. Markkanen is averaging 22.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, shooting 41.8 percent from three.

Markkanen has never been a better sharpshooter than this season. His true shooting percentage is 65.7 percent, easily the best of his career. Interestingly, in an era where three-point shooting seems to be more and more constant, he’s actually taking less than half of his shots from the perimeter for the first time since his second season.

The big man is getting a lot of run on the court, unsurprising for a largely unheralded squad of players in Utah. He’s one of a dozen or so players to have played nearly 1,000 minutes this season already. It should be no surprise his counting stats, including points and rebounds, both rank highly.

It’s not clear if Markkanen or his Jazz can continue proving the doubters wrong for the entire season, but the All-Star break doesn’t occur after all the games have been played. Utah is great to watch and Markkanen is a deserving All-Star.