NBA Power Rankings Week 11: All-Star break edition

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Chicago Bulls. 19. team. 24. . 16-18. Previous: 21st

Last Week: 2/28 at Toronto Raptors (POSTPONED), Lost to Denver Nuggets 118-112, Beat New Orleans Pelicans 128-124

This Week: 3/11 vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 3/12 vs. Miami Heat

The fact that the Chicago Bulls are in the mix for the play-in tournament is a mild upset. Lauri Markkanen has only appeared 14 games. Wendell Carter, Jr. has only played 23 games. Yet here the Bulls are, taking steps forward as a young team with a new head coach.

All-Star Zach LaVine is the most important Bull so let’s start there. He is somehow even better than last season, averaging 28.7 points (seventh), 5.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game with shooting splits of .525/.435/.857. Anyone still calling him just a dunker or an empty stats on a bad team kind of guy is simply not watching him. That is the old narrative about a young guy who got traded from the Timberwolves. LaVine is driving this offense and at times completely wills the team to wins.

For their part, Markkanen and Carter have looked good individually when they are on the court but their fit overall is still tenuous. Ultimately, one of them feels likely to be moved as Patrick Williams is already proving his worth as a future starter for this team. His lockdown defense, intangibles and work ethic are undeniable. Funny how quickly things can turn around when your coach is more interested in development than time clocks.