F – Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz)
The NBA’s Most Improved Player this year, Lauri Markkanen kept a Jazz team (that seemed destined for a rebuild at the season’s start after trading away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert) afloat for most of the year. Markkanen averaged 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this year across 66 games. He was also very efficient, shooting 49.9% from the field, 39.2% from deep, and 87.5% from the line.
While the Jazz finishing the year 12th in the West at 37-45 likely played a role in Markkanen getting left off the All-NBA teams, it’s important to remember that this Jazz team was 34-36 on March 18th and was in the thick of the play-in hunt. However, Markkanen then played in just three of Utah’s final 12 games as the Jazz fell into the lottery. Also, as previously mentioned, this was a team that was full-on set for a rebuild heading into the year, but Markkanen played a key role in keeping them competitive for much of the year.
Markkanen received six second-team votes and 31 third-team votes (those 31 being the most third-team votes of anyone left off the All-NBA teams). The 25-year-old is the only player on this snub list who has not previously made an All-NBA team, but he did make his all-star game debut this season.