Chicago Bulls: 2017-18 player grades for Lauri Markkanen

Strengths

Coming into the season, the goal was to bring Markkanen along at a deliberate pace due to the depth at the power forward spot. That plan changed, however, when a preseason altercation took place between Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic that resulted in the two players missing 31 games.

As it turned out, Markkanen wasn’t bothered by being put into the starting lineup unexpectedly. In fact, he hasn’t looked back since.

In 68 appearances, the rookie forward posted averages of 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, placing him at third and first, respectively, in these team categories. Additionally, Markkanen certainly shed the label of being just a shooter as he developed a nice post-up game and wasn’t shy about taking the ball to the rim.

Another positive about Markkanen that won’t show up in the box score is his low-key demeanor. Yes, there were stretches during the season when the shot was falling at a high rate. For example, during the month of February, Markkanen connected on just 39 percent of his attempts, including a woeful 17.6 percent conversion rate from beyond the arc.

It is also worth noting that Markkanen was out the lineup due to back spasms and becoming a father for the first time. Although he had a lot of different scenarios to contend with, his attitude and approach remained the same, which is impressive considering he is just 20 years of age.

No matter what was going on around him, Markkanen never really lost confidence in his ability as a player – an attribute that will continue to serve him well going into next season and beyond.