If ever there was a prospect made for Minnesota, it just might be 7-foot Finnish forward Lauri Markkanen.
He can skate, shoot, score and he likes cold weather, too.
He also has sisu.
If you're unfamiliar with saunas and St. Urho's Day as well, sisu doesn't translate exactly into English. Roughly, it's a national trait shared by Finns and embodied in their collective resolve, perseverance, stoicism and lasting courage against all odds.
"I know what it is," Arizona coach Sean Miller said, "and he definitely has it."
Markkanen played one year and 37 games for Miller, who deemed him the best shooter of any size in a college basketball season that also presented Kentucky's Malik Monk and Duke's Luke Kennard.
Miller also calls him a mature, driven and skilled 20-year-old who's more than a one-dimensional shooter, as exceptional at that as he might be, and he's tougher than your stereotypical tall European. Don't forget: Kristaps Porzingis of Latvia faced some of the same questions two years ago before New York drafted him fourth.
"You know the knock on European guys, but he's really tough," Arizona teammate Rawle Alkins said. "I played with him all season. I watched his motor. He's tough."