Chicago Bulls have lottery talent and playoff hopes in 2019-20
Storyline 2: Do Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen have another level?
The Chicago Bulls are headlined by an elite athlete who can score in bunches in their backcourt in Zach LaVine and an emerging big man in their frontcourt, Lauri Markkanen. Usually, that’s a good sign for any rebuilding squad.
The question really is, how high is the ceiling for this duo? Is LaVine truly a potential scoring champion and future All-Star? Is Markkanen the next Dirk Nowitzki? If he is, can he shoulder the burden as the centerpiece for a championship-caliber franchise in the future?
The reality is, the future fortunes for this franchise hang on the development of these two players. They were the key pieces in the Jimmy Butler trade and now, entering the third season post-Butler, it’s time for them to take their game to the next level.
What exactly is their next level though?
Picture this, the Windy City will play host to the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend in February. Besides parkas, what are the necessities for the biggest event of the NBA regular season, at least for the hometown fans? How about the Bulls two best players representing the city throughout the weekend?
Not just for the Slam Dunk competition (which LaVine should participate in) or the Skills Challenge (Markkanen could be a dark horse, just saying).
Yes, the actual game Sunday evening.
It’s not a stretch, LaVine is coming off a career year, finishing 16th in scoring at 23.7 points per game with 4.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. His 52.0 effective field goal percentage was higher than other stars such as Joel Embiid (51.7), Kemba Walker (51.1), Donovan Mitchell (49.3), D’Angelo Russell (51.2) and Russell Westbrook (46.8).
The Bulls’ shooting guard posted a higher 3-point percentage (37.4 percent) than Devin Booker (32.6), Westbrook (29.0), Kawhi Leonard (37.1) and Mitchell (36.2).
Offensively, LaVine is one of the best in the game and this is the season where he should establish himself on the national stage, that is, the biggest stage of the winter, and he won’t have to travel anywhere to get there this year.
Markkanen could also join his high-flying teammate on All-Star Weekend. He also had a strong 2018-19 season, averaging 18.7 points per game while shooting 43.0 percent from the floor, 36.1 percent from long-range.
He’s a threat from long-range and is a force on the boards, snaring 9.0 rebounds per game. As he continues to build lower body strength, the 7’0″ Finnish star’s impact should be increasingly felt on the low block.
For LaVine and Markkanen, the level of their continued development will determine Chicago’s future. If this is the year they take a sizable leap, the most important games played in Chicago won’t just be on a Sunday evening in mid-February. Springtime is a wonderful time for playoff basketball in the Windy City.