1. Development of young core takes another hit
Dunn was limited to 52 games in 2017-18 thanks to an assortment of injuries. Markkanen missed 14 games and LaVine suited up just 24 games.
The front office was excited about the potential of these players, but injuries limited their on the court time together. In fact, these three players were on the court at the same time a total of 12 games, totaling 255 minutes, which wasn’t what the team had in mind.
With that being said, one of the points of emphasis for Chicago heading into the offseason was making sure this trio would spend more time on the court together in Year 2. Once again, though, injuries have limited them to just two games this season.
While injuries have severely hindered this young Bulls squad over the past two seasons, LaVine is choosing to put a positive spin on the recent setback.
"“We’ll get it together,” LaVine told the Chicago Tribune. “It’s not like I’m out for an extended period of time. We still have a lot of season left. We’ll get it down.”"
Although LaVine doesn’t appear to be overly concerned about this recent development, one can only wonder if injuries will prevent this group from reaching its collective potential.