Explosive offense for Chicago Bulls in opening-night loss; 3 takeaways

1. Lauri Markkanen is poised for a breakout season

In case you’re new to the Chicago Bulls bandwagon, Lauri Markkanen is one of the league’s young studs. This season, he might actually start getting recognized nationally as one. The 7-footer from Finland dominated Charlotte in the paint, rarely showing hesitation and proving he’s ready to take the mantle as the Bulls’ best overall player.

Much of the chatter throughout the fall surrounded Zach LaVine‘s phenomenal preseason performance while Markkanen’s struggles went largely unnoticed.

It didn’t matter Wednesday evening.

Markkanen came out swinging early, taking nine shots in the first quarter and 16 in the first half. This was a departure from the more reserved nature we’d grown accustomed to during the former Arizona Wildcat’s first two seasons in the Windy City.

The Chicago big man poured in 35 points on 13 for 25 shooting (52 percent) and had a 59.5 percent true shooting percentage while only hitting on one of seven 3-point attempts. He also dominated the boards, hauling in 17 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.

If you didn’t know about Lauri Markkanen before Wednesday, be prepared to hear his name much more frequently now. His campaign to represent the Bulls at All-Star Weekend in Chicago in February just got off to a roaring start.