Pippen Ain't Easy
Fansided

5 goals for Lauri Markkanen to achieve during his rookie season in NBA

By Michael Whitlow

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 10: Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls goes up for a dunk against the Atlanta Hawks during the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League on July 10, 2017 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 10: Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls goes up for a dunk against the Atlanta Hawks during the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League on July 10, 2017 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Lauri Markkanen, PF/C, Chicago Bulls
HELSINKI, FINLAND – SEPTEMBER 5: Georgios Printezis of Greece and Lauri Markkanen of Finland during the FIBA Eurobasket 2017 Group A match between Greece and Finland on September 5, 2017 in Helsinki, Finland. (Photo by Norbert Barczyk/Press Focus/MB Media/Getty Images) /

Goal No. 3: Work on foot speed, being able to guard multiple positions

Although Markkanen did show some good things on the defensive end at EuroBasket against some of the world’s best non-NBA talent, the NBA is the best basketball league in the world for a reason. Everything is bigger, faster, stronger and better.

At times, Markkanen showed some good things defensively.

In this possession against France in the EuroBasket opener for Finland, Markkanen got switched onto current Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier, one of the more underrated players in the NBA today, and showcase a bit of flexibility on the defensive end. He tracks the ball off the switch, knows right where Fournier is and uses his length to take away any clear look at the rim.

Markkanen did kind of fall for the shot fake, but just slightly. It wasn’t enough for Fournier to drive past him or initiate the contact to draw the foul like you see so many NBA guards do. Fournier pops out to the 3-point line again with the shot clock winding down, but Markkanen’s right there and eventually, the Finns force a shot clock violation.

This play against former Bulls wing Anthony Randolph against Slovenia stood out a bit for Markkanen’s defensive film. Markkanen did a fantastic job of moving his feet and using his seven-foot frame to hound Randolph into a turnover off his leg.

Markkanen may not be the fastest on his feet or the longest with his length, but he showed flashes of his ability to guard. That’s a big plus if he can continue to grow into a better defender, which was one of the main gripes about his draft stock coming out of Arizona.

Home/Bulls News