SALT LAKE CITY — Following his first season in Utah, forward Lauri Markkanen did something no other Jazz player has ever accomplished by winning the NBA's Most Improved Player Award on Monday.
Receiving 69 of the 100 first place votes, Markkanen beat the other finalists for the award: Oklahoma City's Shai Gildeous Alexander and New York's Jalen Brunson.
Acquired in the off-season trade that sent Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland, Markkanen set a career high this season with 25.6 points per game while being named to his first-ever NBA All-Star team.
The sixth-year pro was one of only six league players to average over 25 points and eight rebounds this season.
“Not trying to stop here. It’s a good recognition of the work you put in, but... it’s just the beginning. I want to make the next jump and be able to lead this team to get into the playoffs and do something big with this group," he said in a Zoom interview with media. "It feels good to get this award, but I’m even more excited going into the future with this and keep working even harder.”
Markkanen's play helped Utah to a better-than-expected record during the 2022-23 season. Last month, as the Jazz were still in the running for a playoff spot, Markkanen said he wasn't concerned about individual awards.
"That's some extra motivation, but I'm not really thinking about it," Markkanen told ESPN. "I talked about the responsibility, and I'm enjoying the challenge, and if those individual goals happen, if we keep winning games and I keep doing my thing. I go every single day to keep working, and I hope that happens, but we'll see. Just try to get these wins together and keep going from there, but obviously it would be a cool trophy to have at home, but that's not the main goal right now."
Markannen was unable to accept his award in person as he is currently fulfilling mandatory military service requirements in his native Finland.
