Chicago Bulls: 5 storylines to watch during second half of season

1. Do the Bulls have a Big 3 in the making?

The Bulls received a lot critcism for sending Butler and their No. 16 pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen. LaVine was on the shelf with an ACL injury.

Many wondered if Dunn’s rookie season in Minnesota was an aberration or a preview of things to come. While Markkanen played well during EuroBasket 2017 (19.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest), the main question was whether he could hold his own against NBA-level competition.

Individually, each player has shown what that he bring to the table on a given night. Dunn’s numbers are up across the board from last season. Markkanen has proven to be both a perimeter threat and a guy who can get by defenders when they attempt to take away the 3-point shot.

Furthermore, LaVine currently leads the team in scoring with 17.3 points per contest and he has scored at least 20 points in four of his last seven outings. Not too bad for a guy who was on the shelf for 11 months.

The important question here is, can they bring it together collectively? This is a valid question when you consider they have only played in just five games together.

Next: 2017-18 Week 19 NBA Power Rankings

In spite of this fact, one has to believe they will continue to improve as they learn the nuisances of each other’s games over the next several weeks. While I have taken a bit of heat for coining them as the team’s Big 3, that is exactly what the Bulls will have in the years to come as long as this trio continues to live up to expectations.