Editor's note, April 2026: When I wrote this piece last September, Miikka Muurinen had just lit up EuroBasket 2025 as Finland's 17-year-old breakout star. He then took the road less traveled - signing a deal with Partizan Belgrade under the greatest European coach of all time, Željko Obradović, rather than heading back to his senior year at high school. It didn't go as hoped. In six EuroLeague appearances, he totaled fewer than 11 minutes for the season. Yesterday, the five-star Finnish forward committed to Arkansas, giving John Calipari's 2026 best recruiting class.
They call him Slim Jesus, a nickname that fits his tall, lean build. Miikka Muurinen, a Finnish high school player, shot to fame during Eurobasket 2025 as Finland’s national team made a surprising run to the semifinals, after a stunning win over Serbia in the round of 16.
Born March 4, 2007, Muurinen's minutes and production are a rarity in European ball. Luka Doncic was the second-best player for the EuroBasket winner in 2017, at a similar age, but the Slovenian guard is a generational talent. Even Victor Wemenyama, another huge prospect, played for the French senior national team for the first time only in November 2022, after the 2022 Eurobasket, when he was older than Muurinen’s current age.
Muurinen’s role on the Finnish team is both limited and vital. He averages 6 points and two rebounds per game, shooting an impressive 91.7% from two-pointers, 30% from three-point range, and 55.6% from the free throw line. These statistics might appear modest, but they don’t fully reflect his actual impact. Many fans have seen his highlight reels online. Let’s start by looking at his dynamic and explosive dunks.
Just Being (Very) Aggressive
Muurinen’s highlights underscore his potential as a prospect. At 6’11 with a 7’2 wingspan, he moves with the speed of a guard and demonstrates excellent hands, as seen in his transition dunk against Serbia. Unlike most players his size, Muurinen displays remarkable grace and coordination.
Above all, Muurinen combines the tenacity of a young Russell Westbrook with the size and technique of Chet Holmgren. Most NBA players tend to tell the press after a successful game, “just being aggressive”. However, in the case of “Slim Jesus,” the aggressiveness is on a whole other level.
This attitude is helpful on set offense, where he goes for a lose ball after his own missed 3, than finishing with a forceful layup; Cutting from the top of the key to the hoop and finishing with an easy bucket; In transition, where he runs the floor as soon as his team has the ball; and in defense, where he has no problem getting phisical with an NBA veteran, Georgia’s Goga Bitadze.
Muurinen combines the tenacity of a young Russell Westbrook with the size and technique of Chet Holmgren
Defensively, Finland’s coach usually had Muurinen guard a role player positioned away from the ball, such as Ognjen Dobrich from Serbia. At the quarterfinals, he guarded Mamu Mamukekashvili of the San Antonio Spurs. Muurinen held his own. He has an innate sense for the ball, tends to overhelp sometimes, but always tries—and sometimes successfully—to deflect the ball, steal an entry pass to Nikola Milotinov, or grab a rebound over the 7'0 Serbian's hands. Even his goaltending block over Nikola Jokic was impressive. He contests every shot taken if he’s close - and somehow, he usually is. To top it all, He is a good rebounder, even if he doesn’t really bother to box out.
Crucial Threes Over Jokic
Like every player his age, Muurinen’s defense requires further development. He tends to jump in on closeouts, usually resulting in a 5-on-4 advantage for the offense. On some occasions, he lost Dobric with his back to the offensive player, losing all orientation; Dobric once took advantage of his aggressiveness, cutting for an easy layup in an out-of-bounds play. Nevertheless, these aren’t fatal mistakes even for older players.
Shooting won’t be an issue, either. Don’t let the 30% mislead you: Muurinen's shooting technique is just fine, releasing the ball relatively fast and scoring two crucial threes in the 4th quarter against Serbia. In both cases, the player who tried to close him out, albeit slowly, was Nikola Jokić, the former NBA MVP.
Born For This Basketball Era
I realize this scouting report sounds too good to be true. Bear in mind, Muurinen couldn’t utilize all his abilities as a role player for Finland. We didn’t have a chance to test him as a focal point of an offense, getting more attention from the defense. We didn’t have an opportunity to observe whether he possesses low-post abilities, nor to witness his ball-handling and creation in a set offense, as he was an afterthought in their system.
I’m not sure if he’s a 3, a 4, or a stretch 5. Still, it’s hard to imagine Muurinen won’t be at least a top 5 pick - probably top 3 - in the 2027 draft. His size, pure talent, and especially his commitment and aggressiveness will make him a highly sought-after commodity in the modern NBA. Slim Jesus was practically born for this era.