Chicago Bulls: 5 steps Billy Donovan must take to succeed
4. Keep Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen healthy
Zach LaVine was the only player in the Bulls’ organization to play like an All-Star last season. This was partly because he enjoyed the best health of his career. Last season, he played in 60 out of 65 games, the most since he appeared in all 82 games as a 20-year-old sophomore.
While LaVine’s health is certainly trending in the right direction, the two-time slam dunk champion does have an unfortunate injury history. In the 2017-18 season, he played in a total of 24 games after an ACL injury ended his prior campaign prematurely. The next season, an assortment of injuries caused him to miss 19 games. Last year was a bounce-back season for LaVine. Fans in Chicago are hoping that the high flyer’s string of good health continues. If he does he could very well be the franchise’s first All-Star selection since Jimmy Butler in 2017.
Lauri Markkanen, on the other hand, missed 15 games last season due to a stress reaction to his right pelvis. Watching Lauri play, he exhibits the agility of a player who’s 6’7″ which makes it easy to forget that he’s 7’0″ tall. Guys his height traditionally recover from injuries slower than shorter players and they’re often more susceptible to getting hurt again after the initial injury occurs. Even two seasons ago, a right elbow sprain cost Markkanen the first 23 games of the year. The Bulls cannot reach their full potential if he and LaVine are not at 100 percent.
It’s going to be Donovan’s job to make sure these up and coming stars, who are without question the best two players on the team, stay healthy throughout the season. Although load management has become an ugly phrase in NBA circles, a similar yet less extreme approach may have to be applied here. The balance of power in the Eastern Conference will be fragile next season. Chicago has a chance to sneak into the playoffs. Nothing would be worse than making it in and having one of these two guys unavailable due to injury.