Former Arizona basketball stars Lauri Markkanen and Bennedict Mathurin each had breakout seasons, Markkanen in his first year with the Utah Jazz and Mathurin as a rookie with the Indiana Pacers.
On Friday, Markkanen was named a finalist for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year, along with the New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The 2023 NBA Most Improved Player of the Year finalists
Jalen Brunson
SGA
Lauri Markkanen pic.