Lauri Markkanen Quotes

Lauri Markkanen

Profession : Basketball Player

Birth : May 22, 1997

When things are not going your way, it's hard. But it made me better going through that struggle. I had to fight through it and figure it out. That made me get better.

Lauri Markkanen

No matter if you miss a shot or miss an assignment on defense, whatever, that play is gone.

Lauri Markkanen

Strength? Definitely ability to stretch the floor, make shots and help the team. That's my biggest strength.

Lauri Markkanen

I'm trying to be a compete player, but my main thing is to stay in the weight room and get stronger.

Lauri Markkanen

I've been working on my shot for shooting NBA threes. I can make that shot, I would say, better than college threes; it's not a problem for me.

Lauri Markkanen

I think I always find something to work on... You always find stuff you can do better. It might be a little tough sometimes, but it kind of keeps you trying to play at the highest level.

Lauri Markkanen

I want to play no matter what. But got to be healthy to play.

Lauri Markkanen

It makes everything so much easier when you believe in yourself, what you're doing.

Lauri Markkanen

We had a hoop in our backyard. My dad, my mother, my brother played, just playing around. I picked up a basketball and stayed with it. I had so much fun playing it. I literally started at four, five years old. It didn't have anything to do with my size at that point, just having fun with it.

Lauri Markkanen

I didn't dream of playing college or playing in the NBA.

Lauri Markkanen

I just wanted to be as good of a basketball player as I could.

Lauri Markkanen

My dad was just trying to make sure even though I was taller than the other kids they're not putting me just to play back to the basket and making me a center and you can't do anything else. He had a lot of effect on that, talked to the coaches that I am going to play the point guard even though I am the tallest guy on the team.

Lauri Markkanen

Even if you have 35 and 17 and you lose the game, it doesn't matter.

Lauri Markkanen

I need to do what the team needs me to do to help the team win.

Lauri Markkanen

The stats are a thing I don't care about.

Lauri Markkanen

I have a high level of confidence in myself and I think that's the only way you can survive in this league. I think I learned that early. Whatever comes at you, you have to keep on working through it.

Lauri Markkanen

To be honest, even though I expect a lot from myself, for my rookie year I knew how tough it would be. So I didn't have too many expectations for my first year.

Lauri Markkanen

I knew the NBA was going to be tougher than college, so that's why I say I knew it would be a challenge. I just tried to come in with the mindset I had to work for everything and I'm not going to get anything easy.

Lauri Markkanen

I don't get discouraged easily.

Lauri Markkanen

I just worry about the things I can control on the floor. I'll let other guys work on the contract stuff.

Lauri Markkanen