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Miikka Muurinen is not having the expected impact at Partizan. After his impressive EuroBasket performance with Finland, the 18-year-old talent has not seen any playing time with the EuroLeague team. In an interview with Mondo, coach Peñarroya spoke about the Finnish player, what he needs to reach the elite level, and what his future might hold. He has the potential to be a top-level player, but that’s not enough. He won’t become a player based on highlights“, Peñarroya said. “There’s a part of basketball that he doesn’t understand right now”, he added.
The Finland trip may have been brief, but the effect has been lasting. Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George became more than co-workers on that trip. They built a friendship. “I will always give Keyonte credit,” Markkanen told The Athletic. “He’s one of the first people to come to Finland and see where I’m from, and where I come from and how I’m living. I didn’t know whether it was if he wanted to understand me better, or not. But, it was really cool to see him reach out to me in that way. And it’s been really cool to see how our relationship has gone over the last year. We’re hanging out more off the court. We listen to each other on the court. And you’re seeing the results on the floor.”
This wrist injury is real, but it is also relatively minor. Markkanen confirmed that the wrist bruise was picked up during Finland’s EuroBasket run to the semifinals, and it was causing him some pain during that time. However, it’s not a major issue now. While Markkanen isn’t taking part in the Jazz’s major training camp sessions, he is present for them. He also works out afterward, both on and off the court — and he doesn’t have any visible wrist protection on during those sessions viewed by the media. He’s still dribbling, if not dunking, with either hand.
"My natural position is probably the three," Miikka Muurinen told MozzartSport. "I used to play point guard in Finland before I went to Spain. When I was 14-15, I played as a point guard," he went on to say. "My growth spurt came in seventh-grade summer, going into eighth grade. That's when I had my growth spurt," Muurinen added. "And then in my eighth-grade year, I was playing point guard. The competition was just so bad in Finland, so I was bringing up the ball every time, scoring every time." When asked about his career-high scoring game, "Slim Jesus" thought for a moment and said simply, "40-something."
After making an impression in the 2025 EuroBasket with Finland, Miika Muurinen won’t return to AZ Compass, choosing instead to begin his professional career, per Jonathan Givony of Draft Express. “The experience at Eurobasket shaped Miikka this summer,” Muurinen’s agent Teddy Archer told DraftExpress. The18-year-old forward is reported to be undecided on what his next move is going to be, looking at potential options in Europe, Australia and other destinations. “He loved being around pros and being all about basketball 24/7. He wants to eat, breathe and sleep this thing like he did this summer. He’s looking for the best basketball opportunity now.”
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Finland went only one shot away from making the country’s history at FIBA EuroBasket 2025, losing at the very ultimate chapter of the third-place final game against Greece. In the post-game mixed zone, the team’s hero, Lauri Markkanen, shared his thoughts on them becoming role models for the new generation of Finnish basketball lovers. “That’s what we’re trying to do,” he said. “Obviously, we’re trying to perform at our best here, trying to win a medal. But in the bigger picture, yes, of course. You try to give back to young kids the future of the game as much as possible. “You definitely have that in your mind when you step up on the court and try to give it your all, representing your country,” the Utah Jazz superstar continued.
Later on, he was asked about the main takeaways that Finland could bring over from a majestic run at FIBA EuroBasket 2025. “We can do anything as a team,” he first answered. “We stuck together, we played together, we played for the country. That’s the one takeaway from the tournament: you never give up, and you play for the name in front of the jersey,” Lauri followed.
Jorge Sierra: Greece almost lost a game to Finland they were winning 81-64 with just four minutes left on the clock. First medal with Greece for Giannis, who made two clutch free throws with seconds to go.
Turkey defeated Greece 94-68 and Germany beat Finland 98-86 in the semifinals of EuroBasket 2025 on Friday. Alperen Sengun had 15 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in the win. Cedi Osman added 17 points in the game. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
Two years after winning the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Germany are back in the EuroBasket Final, reaching the first-place game on Sunday against either Greece or Turkiye. To take down Finland in the competition’s Semi-Finals, they needed an amazing performance by both Dennis Schroder (26 points and 12 assists) and Franz Wagner (22 points). “Hell of a game. I thought he did a great job of keeping us calm in tough moments during the game and staying aggressive,” Wagner opened on the team’s captain in the mixed zone.
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The battle of Cinderella stories unfolded on Wednesday in Arena Riga, where Finland and Georgia faced off after stunning Quarter-Final upsets over Serbia and France, respectively. With a place in history on the line, Finland prevailed, earning their first ever trip to the Semi-Finals with a 93-79 win. On Friday, they will play the winner of the Germany vs Slovenia matchup.
While Lauri Markkanen had another inspiring performance (17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks), it was Mikael Jantunen who was the game hero for Finland. Against Serbia, he was impressive on the defensive end, taking over the duties of guarding Nikola Jokic, and this time around, it was his offense making the difference. Jantunen knocked down three three-pointers early on, finishing the game with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Finland were a +12 team with him on the floor.
Jose Saenz de Tejada: Do you think it's easier to score in the NBA than in FIBA or do you look it differently? Lauri Markkanen: I think there's both sides to it. NBA has the best players in the world in every team and games are longer so you have more time to do score points and stuff. Then there is rules that make the NBA easier for that which is the defensive three-second rule or the one about not tipping the ball on the top of the rim, which pisses me off here, but I think there's both sides to it and obviously game is really physical here, sometimes you get the call, sometimes not. But I think in certain ways, FIBA might be tougher for sure.
Sergio Andres: How big is it for you for a competitor, for an elite player like you to come into a Eurobasket and compete for winning every single game? Lauri Markkanen: First of all, you take a lot of pride representing your country. So that's already big. And then in the national team summers, I feel like every game is like a playoff game. So it means so much more because the stakes are a lot higher. Obviously, it's a win-or-go-home now. And that's what you play basketball for. You get to compete against the best players in the world, and there's nothing like it really. So, it obviously feels good after a tougher season in the NBA to have a summer like this, where we get to play five games at home and then come over here and be in a win-or-go-home situation; it’s pretty cool.