Chicago Bulls: 2018-19 player grades for Lauri Markkanen

Markkanen is a better defender than you’d think, but improvement is necessary

European ballers aren’t necessarily known for their keen defensive prowess. Markkanen doesn’t excel defensively, but he has shown an awareness that is at least encouraging for Chicago Bulls fans. He’s not a shot-blocker, averaging 0.6 blocks per game in both of his NBA seasons.

He’s not a ball hawk either, averaging 1.1 steals per 100 possessions. What he can do, though, is stay in front of his defender. He has the lateral quickness to defend his position and works hard on the defensive end.

Admittedly, defensive aptitude is difficult to measure. Sometimes, it’s easy to tell a good defender from a bad one, and usually, the effort (or lack thereof) is the biggest example. Markkanen isn’t the best defender for his position, but his work ethic and willingness to mix it up on that side of the ball is encouraging.

What Markkanen does excel at is rebounding. In 2018-19, he had at least nine rebounds in 27 of his 52 games played. He snagged a career-high 19 rebounds, all defensive, against the Brooklyn Nets in January.