Chicago Bulls: 5 goals for Lauri Markkanen in the 2020-21 season

Lauri Markkanen’s third goal: Increase trips to the free throw line

While being able to launch from deep is of increased importance in today’s NBA, Markkanen must not forget that he is 7’0” tall. It would be a shame to waste that height on strictly perimeter play and forget to put pressure on opposing defenses by attacking the rim. To be fair, Lauri has put a couple of unsuspecting defenders on posters with rim-rattling dunks over the last few seasons. Just ask Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic if Markkanen knows how to attack the basket. All that being said, last season he shot 3.1 free throws per game compared to 3.8 free throws per game the year before.

To put this trend in reverse, Markkanen must take advantage of his height and put pressure on opposing defenses to stop him in the paint. Doing this will inevitably cause shorter power forwards to commit fouls when trying to prevent him from getting easy buckets. Getting the opposing team’s front line in foul trouble will force them to alter their rotations, which will ultimately cause match-up problems.

Markkanen has the height of a center and the agility of a small forward, which makes him a match-up nightmare for most of the players at his position. If he uses all his advantages, he could easily average around six free throws a night.

This will translate to easy points for a player who’s been a consistently good free throw shooter throughout his career. He’s never shot under 80 percent from the free throw line over the course of a season in his career. Markkanen will give opposing coaches nightmares if he makes up his mind to take more trips to the charity stripe.