Chicago Bulls: Can Lauri Markkanen continue his development?
Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen is entering his second NBA season. Can he take the next step in a career destined for stardom?
As the seventh pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Lauri Markkanen flew past expectations for the Chicago Bulls last season. The 7-footer from Finland averaged 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Bulls in 68 games in 2017-18. Now, the question is, can his encore be even better?
As the Bulls continue reshaping their roster, it’s apparent that they hit the jackpot with Markkanen. An All-Rookie first teamer, Markkanen emerged as the centerpiece of the Bulls rebuild in 2018.
Fans may not have forgotten about Jimmy Butler, but it appears Markkanen is on track to be a star in The Windy City.
What is Lauri Markkanen’s ceiling?
How good can Markkanen be? Billed as an elite shooter leading up to the draft, Markkanen surprised many (including myself) with his toughness and ability to score off the dribble.
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While shooting at a 36.2 percent clip from 3-point land, he was also adept and scoring at the rim. Markkanen shot 67.6 percent from within three feet.
His strength is in his shooting touch, but as he builds muscle, Markkanen will be nearly unstoppable to defend with his array of moves and ability to free himself for open shots.
Last season, Markkanen’s mean streak was a pleasant surprise for Bulls fans. Watching him play, he doesn’t appear to just fit the European stereotype. He plays with grit and passion and has shown he wants to be the best player on the court.
Dropping 33 points on Kristaps Porzingas is evidence of that confidence.
Overall, I believe Markkanen’s ceiling is high. Will he be better than Porzingas? It’s tough to compare to a healthy Unicorn. But, Markkanen has the tools to be an inside-outside type scorer, a la Dirk Nowitzki.
He actually reminds me a little of Kevin Love, though without the rebounding prowess Love showed in Minnesota. While his defensive play wasn’t great as a rookie, Markkanen has the physical tools to defend the 4 position and probably ultimately the 5.
Can Markkanen be the centerpiece of a contender?
In his age-20 season, Markkanen was the Bulls’ best player most nights. The main issue, I felt, was the lack of touches. Markkanen was third on the team in field goal attempts with 12.7 per game. This number isn’t terribly frightening, I suppose.
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Unless, of course, you consider it was the Bulls backcourt that shot more than Markkanen. Both Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn shot more often and at a lower percentage than Markkanen.
Unless it’s a backcourt combo like Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, they shouldn’t be outshooting a player like Markkanen. Clearly Dunn-LaVine aren’t anywhere close to that level.
Now, with Jabari Parker, one has to wonder how his addition will affect Markkanen’s development. Parker has made it clear he didn’t come to Chicago to be a defensive stopper. He is here to be a scorer, probably at the expense of Markkanen.
In short, I’m sold on Markkanen as the franchise cornerstone for the Bulls. He’s the only “untouchable” player on the roster.
While John Paxson and Gar Forman might be excited about one-dimensional players like LaVine and Parker (I actually think LaVine could be good defensively if he cared enough, Parker clearly doesn’t), I think Markkanen could develop into an excellent two-way player.
He’s never going to be Rudy Gobert, nor will he be asked to be an intimidating defender in Chicago. However, he should be able to hold his own defensively. He has the footwork and the agility to defend his position.
The future looks bright with Markkanen as the centerpiece
The Bulls struck gold with Lauri Markkanen. As great as Jimmy Butler is, it’s beginning to look like the Bulls won that trade, especially with the rumblings regarding Butler’s unhappiness playing alongside Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.
In the Eastern Conference, Markkanen should be a perennial All-Star, maybe as soon as this season. It remains to be seen how the Parker-LaVine-Markkanen dynamic will play out, but Markkanen absolutely should fulfill his potential in Chicago.
With Wendell Carter Jr. joining Markkanen in the frontcourt, he has the perfect complement that will allow his game to flourish. It appears Markkanen is willing to put the work in, so now it’s up to Fred Hoiberg to optimize his usage.
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While the Bulls are focusing on getting young and athletic, they shouldn’t deviate from the Markkanen’s develop. Their growth as a basketball team is directly correlated to Markkanen’s development.