4 Central Division players who could surpass LeBron James

3. Lauri Markkanen

Imagine a player with the release speed of Stephen Curry, mid-rage game of Dirk Nowitzki, the footwork of a guard, the shot-blocking ability of a big man and open-floor quickness. That’s Chicago Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen.

Dubbed “Baby Dirk” in some circles. Markkanen is softly flying under the radar as a premier rookie from this year’s draft class. While the Los Angeles Lakers duo grabs headlines and Ben Simmons produces record numbers, Markkanen flashes a skill-set far beyond his years.

Here’s a simple example of what the young Bull can do.

With the shot clock dwindling, Markkanen calmly faces up against Gary Harris, jab steps to create space before snapping a dart through the rim. It was effortless. It was indefensible. It’s what he can do wherever, whenever.

In maybe his best offensive game so far, he scored 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting against Cleveland last week. Markkanen pelted Kevin Love with step-back jumpers, fadeaways and a bonkers 4-point play. But what is most impressive is his ability to attack the rim at seven feet tall with an albatross-like wingspan.

It’s almost Giannis Antetokounmpo-like the way Markkanen uses his length. This 20-year-old is going to special if he continues to develop.