Lauri Markkanen Leads Finland Past Iceland With Jazz in Attendance

Lauri Markkanen didn't have to go far to find familiar faces this weekend. He found the faces of his Utah Jazz teammates in the stands as Finland hosted Iceland in a friendly ahead of the upcoming FIBA World Cup qualifying window.

Jazz head coach Will Hardy, forward Jaren Jackson Jr., guard Keyonte George and team owner Ryan Smith all made the trip to Helsinki, then watched Markkanen close out the visit on top Friday in Espoo.

Markkanen finished with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, helping Finland defeat Iceland 93-78.

It was the stat line Jazz fans have gotten used to in recent years: efficiency and production across many box-score categories. Although this was against lesser competition, fans are eager for October to come around.

This past week, the Utah Jazz social media accounts and players posted clips of their trips, from exploring to team workouts.

Markkanen had spent the previous days leading up to the game showing Helsinki to Jackson and George before Hardy and Smith arrived.

Hardy framed the visit as a great memory and a necessity for team chemistry.

"This gave us an opportunity to get them together and away from everything," Hardy told Finnish broadcaster Yle. "They were able to work out, but the human element, the relationships and building connections, have been the most important things."

It's George's second straight summer making the trip. He first joined Markkanen in Finland to train last offseason, a pattern that is becoming a new norm for building team chemistry, especially coming into a season with optimism.

The friendly was a tune-up, not a qualifier. But the games that matter are not far behind.

Markkanen and Finland are set to play two World Cup qualifiers over the next 10 days. Finland currently sits second in Group L at 4-2, with France leading at 5-1 and Estonia, Sweden, Slovenia and Hungary all tied for third at 3-3. The top three teams in each group advance to the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar.

With Markkanen penciled in the lineup, Finland is favored in both remaining matchups. A sweep would put Finland in a strong position for the November and February qualifying windows that land during the NBA regular season.

For Utah, the value of Jackson and George visiting Lauri in his home country is essential for the kind of culture Hardy is trying to create.

International breaks like this one go beyond training camp. Time together away from the media and their practice schedules is something that doesn't happen often. 

With training camp mere weeks away, it's one more and maybe the last ingredient for a successful summer.