Chicago Bulls: 3 players who need a big final month

1. Lauri Markkanen

Let’s face it, besides their overall poor record for the Chicago Bulls, the biggest disappointment has been Lauri Markkanen‘s regression this season. Perhaps he was playing while injured, maybe it was a failure of the coaching staff to utilize their athletic 7-footer correctly, or it could’ve been a mixture of both.

Either way, this season hasn’t gone according to plan for Lauri Markkanen. At best, it’s been an uneven season for the Bulls big man.

Back in October, when the Bulls kicked off the season against the Charlotte Hornets, Markkanen had a monster game. Posting 35 points and 17 rebounds, it looked like he was off and running towards a potential All-Star nod in the Windy City. Instead, he followed up that performance with plenty of duds, becoming mostly a spot-up shooter and leading to the media and fans questioning what exactly was wrong with their third-year big man.

Averaging 15.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season, the former Arizona Wildcat hasn’t come close to reaching lofty expectations many had for him.

Finally back from a 16 game absence for a pelvic injury, Markkanen needs to end this season on a high note. If the coaching staff can figure out how to utilize his unique skill set, namely getting him moving around with quick cuts and curls, we might see more of the talent displayed last season.

Lauri Markkanen still has a high ceiling and is a foundational piece for the organization. It’s time that both he and the team act like it.

Clearly still stuck in rebuilding mode, the Chicago Bulls need to see more from essentially everyone on the roster. Wendell Carter Jr. has to show that he can stay healthy and be a disruptive force on the defensive end, Zach LaVine has to continue to develop into a two-way guard – not just a one-dimensional scorer and the coaching staff simply has to be better, in all phases.

In year three of the rebuild, very few things have gone well this season for the Chicago Bulls. Still, there have been bright spots. The playoffs are a faint hope at this point, but there is still plenty the team can build upon. With 20 games to go, now’s the time to kick into gear for the home stretch.