Chicago Bulls: 3 takeaways from Lauri Markkanen’s preseason debut

Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen played in his first preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Here’s a look at the three main takeaways from his NBA debut.

One of the young players on the roster the Chicago Bulls were excited about coming into this season was Lauri Markkanen. After all, he was taken at the No. 7 spot in this year’s NBA Draft as part of the deal that sent Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Markkanen had an up-and-down NBA Summer League, but did turn things around in the EuroBasket 2017 tournament. In six appearances, he compiled averages of 19.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.

On top of that, he converted 56 of his attempts overall and shot a super-efficient 53 percent from beyond the arc. While both Bulls fans and the front office were anxiously awaiting to see how he would fare against NBA-level competition, the excitement was temporarily placed on hold, as Markkannen was forced to miss the team’s first three preseason games due to back spasms.

After successfully playing through contact during practice on Saturday, however, Markkanen was cleared to play his first game against a New Orleans Pelicans team that features two of the best frontcourt players in the league in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins.

Here are the main takeaways from Markkanen’s debut in the Bulls’ 108-95 loss to the Pelicans.