A blast from the past for Lauri Markkanen vs. New Zealand Breakers, and a glimpse of the future with Karim Lopez

In 2017, Lauri Markkanen was 7th overall pick of the NBA draft. That summer he also made his senior national team debut for Finland, suiting up alongside one of the players he idolized, Petteri Koponen.

“One of the best ones ever do it, one of the guys I looked up to when I was a kid,” Markkanen said. “It was a surreal moment to actually make my debut with him, and he was a great leader for us.”

To be able to train and play with one of his childhood heroes was something that Markkanen never could have imagined, and it was actually Koponen who assisted Markkanen on his first senior national team bucket, a moment Markkanen holds very dear.

On Friday night the Utah Jazz hosted the NBL’s New Zealand Breakers in a preseason exhibition game at the Delta Center. The Breakers’ head coach is none other that Koponen.

“Who would have thought that we actually would meet on an NBA floor?” Markkanen said.

The future is bright

While Markkanen was enjoying a blast from the past with one of his longtime idols and past teammates, there was also a glimpse at what could be coming to the NBA in the future.

The Breakers roster features the youngest players in the NBL — 17-year-old Karim Lopez, who is projected to be a possible lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Considering his age, Lopez has extensive professional experience, including multiple seasons with European teams, playing with the Mexican national team and now playing in the NBL.

“I think it’s amazing the way that basketball — it’s always been a young person’s game — but it’s getting younger,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “I think if a 17 year-old can go into that game and not stand out in a bad way, that speaks volumes...I remember myself at 17, just in terms of human maturity. I cannot imagine doing what that kid just did.

“Obviously he’s a very good basketball player to be playing it at this level at 17. He’s got a little bit of a baby face, but he doesn’t move around and operate like he’s 17 years old. He deserves a lot of credit, because to do what he’s doing at 17, he’s obviously got a very bright future.”

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Lopez had 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes off the bench for New Zealand on Friday night, and Hardy is right in that he does not seem like he’s 17 years old when you watch him play. A number of Jazz players didn’t even know that he was 17 while the game was going on.

Jazz newcomer Drew Eubanks, who gave Lopez some pushback at the rim on Friday, was shocked at the way the youngster was playing and only learned Lopez’s age after overhearing Markkanen talk about him on the bench during the game.

“You could tell he’s young, but not that young,” Eubanks said. “Good for him. He holds his own out there, he’s athletic, can get to the rim, was really poised, aggressive. I liked his game. He’s good.”