Lauri tops keys for rest of season
Bulls will be looking at specific things in last 24 games
Five games last April didn’t necessarily change then-Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg’s mind, but it definitely didn’t hurt.
Hoiberg watched big man Lauri Markkanen play the best basketball of his rookie season to close the Bulls’ 2017-18 campaign. Markkanen averaged 19.4 points and 6.4 rebounds and shot a blistering 58 percent from three-point range in an average of 24 minutes in those games.
But Hoiberg was seeing other things from Markkanen, specifically his comfort in practice to start showing off his ballhandling and passing skills. He was doing things 7-footers normally don’t do.
That’s why Hoiberg spent the summer tweaking the Bulls’ offense to make Markkanen more of a focus. But Hoiberg never saw those tweaks play out — first because Markkanen hurt his right elbow early in camp, then because Hoiberg was fired Dec. 3, two days after Markkanen made his 2018-19 debut.
Fast-forward to this month. Markkanen entered the All-Star break averaging 25.3 points and 12.5 rebounds in his last six games.
According to Markkanen, his elbow is about ‘‘85 percent’’ and he’s attacking the boards so he can initiate the offense. And in the Rising Stars Game on Friday of All-Star Weekend, he showed off his ballhandling with some impressive dribbling at the top of the arc before launching a three-pointer.
‘‘Yeah, I think it is kind of a secret because that’s how I grew up,’’ Markkanen said of his ballhandling skills. ‘‘I was always on the perimeter with the ball. Even in practice [with the Bulls], I fool around with [my ballhandling], and I’ve been doing that more and more.’’
That’s what makes the Bulls’ last 24 games this season so important. Markkanen is starting to show AllStar potential. If he can stay on that trajectory, maybe the Bulls’ rebuild will start gaining some traction.
Here are four other keys for the final two months:
1. Kris Dunn changing minds: The Sun-Times reported last month that the Bulls know they need an upgrade at point guard, whether it’s through the draft or free agency. The feeling is that competition will show whether Dunn is a starter or a backup. Dunn can start making his case with more consistent play in the last 24 games.
2. The suddenly not-so-small forward: The acquisition of Otto Porter Jr. in a trade with the Wizards might be the reason the Bulls lose out in the Zion Williamson sweepstakes. He is averaging 22.5 points in his four games with the Bulls, who are 2-2 with him in the lineup.
Porter also has ended the Bulls’ search for a starting small forward. How he and Markkanen work together down the stretch will carry weight into the offseason.
3. Zach attack: Guard Zach LaVine’s goals for the rest of the season are to stay healthy and stay within himself. His last six games have been efficient (54 percent shooting from the field) and impressive (23.3 points per game). When LaVine feels the need to do too much, the offense takes a step backward.
4. Bubble players: The Bulls’ bench needs a serious upgrade, so it’s sink-or-swim time for players such as Shaq Harrison, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Antonio Blakeney and Wayne Selden Jr. as far as showing they should be keepers for next season.