Next Big Thing: Why Miika Muurinen is Europe’s next top NBA prospect

RIGA (Latvia) – Despite being the youngest player in the competition, Miikka Muurinen came into FIBA EuroBasket 2025 with lofty expectations.

The Finnish forward is ranked as a top-15 recruit in the high school class of 2026 by multiple recruiting services, and early projections have him as a first-round pick in the 2027 NBA Draft.

Neither of those facts, however, capture the expectations placed on Muurinen as well as his nickname: Slim Jesus.

The nickname, coined by social media influencer Cam Wilder, much like the expectations themselves, could be burdensome for an 18-year-old high schooler playing on the biggest stage of his life so far.

If the pressure of expectations is getting to Muuriinen, it certainly hasn’t shown on the basketball floor.

In the biggest game of career to date, Muurinen provided a spark off the bench for Finland, putting up 9 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal in just 12 minutes of play as his team pulled off a historic upset against Serbia.

The 18-year-old forward has been described by Finland’s head coach, Lassi Tuovi, as an X-Factor, a tag that the team’s veterans seem to agree with. “He’s giving us a great boost from the bench and world-class stuff like blocks and dunks,” Finland’s captain Sasu Salin said in the press row after the game. “Great energy boosts.”

Those dunks and blocks are par for the course for a player as athletically gifted as Muurinen. Standing at 2.10m (6ft 10.5in), he moves with tremendous speed and explosiveness for his size, allowing him to elevate and play around the rim with ease.

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We see a future star of basketball.

Lassi Tuovi on Miikka Muurinen

The spark, however, comes not only from his physical tools but also from his approach to the game, where he brings energy to every possession.

“He plays, he makes highlights,” Finland’s coach Lassi Tuovi said during the postgame press conference after the Serbia win. “He makes some mistakes, but he competes in every situation.”

Muurinen’s combination of energy, mobility, and elite physical tools truly shines on defense. Despite averaging only 10 minutes per contest, the 18-year-old is Finland’s second leading shot blocker. Muurinen consistently looks to create defensive events, utilizing his long arms to contest shots on the perimeter and protect the rim, both as a primary rim protector and as a help defender from the weak side.

As the youngest player on the team, you have to make the most of the opportunities on offense and that’s exactly what Muurinen has done during EuroBasket, converting 10 of his 11 shot attempts from inside the arc. His physical tools really stand out around the basket, where his length and explosive leaping ability allow him to go for highlight-worthy dunks.

Yet while his role as a spark plug has been vital for Finland, it’s the flashes of perimeter skill at his size that have cemented him as one of the top young prospects in the world.

Muurinen can create drives against a set defense with his combination of size, fluidity and body control. His long arms allow him to keep a low dribble point, which, combined with his footwork and his ability to change directions with the ball, allows him to drive through traffic.

The shooting is the final piece of the puzzle, and Muurinen, despite connecting on just 25 percent of his threes so far, has shown touch on tough shots and the versatility to knock down jumpers off the catch, on the move, and off the dribble. The 18-year-old has had outstanding moments as a shooter during EuroBasket, including hitting two threes in less than a minute to put Finland up four in the fourth quarter against Serbia.

His profile as a 2.10m wing who can impact the game around the rim with his explosive finishing and explosive rim protection, while also having the smoothness and creativity to generate offense off the dribble is certainly unique, but his coach sees the value in that uniqueness.

“You cannot put him in a box: the box will be too small,” Tuovi said in Saturday’s press conference. The coach sees his long-term potential but he also recognizes what Muurinen already brings to the team. “We see a future star of basketball,” Tuovi said. “But we are very happy that he also helps us so much to light it up, even though he plays short minutes.”

Finland now sits one win away from history. A win over Georgia would secure the team’s first-ever Semi-Finals appearance at EuroBasket, and as the team chases history, Muurinen is writing his own. With his elite tools and athleticism, a versatile two-way skill set, and the ability to deliver in big moments, the 18-year-old has emerged as Europe’s next top NBA prospect.

“Let’s hope he becomes the best player in the world,” Salin said to the press after Saturday’s game when asked about Muurinen’s ceiling. “It takes time and practice, but he’s an NBA player, for sure.”

FIBA