Pippen Ain't Easy
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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) /
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Lauri Markkanen, PF/C, Chicago Bulls
HELSINKI, FINLAND – SEPTEMBER 5: Lauri Markkanen of Finland, Evangelos Mantzaris of Greece 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. 2: Continue to develop an attack from each block

The Dirk Nowitzki comparisons were aplenty like I mentioned earlier when it came to Lauri Markkanen’s draft stock in June, but where those comparisons came from was Markkanen’s ability to score from the post. He’s big and has a great touch on his shots. You could say the same about Dirk throughout his soon-to-be hall of fame career in the NBA.

To be honest, all I could see was a Young Dirk on this specific play against Slovenia.

It’s completely unfair for anyone to be compared to one of the game’s greatest players and the best European player ever, but this was beautiful to see from Markkanen. He comes off a screen and looks to post up on the right block. This bucket really could’ve been scored after his spin move got him some space to score in the lane, but the pass never came. Instead, Markkanen re-posts, shows a quick ball fake, takes two dribbles and drains a beautiful fadeaway.

Although that may not be the most efficient shot in the world, Markkanen showed his ability to get his shot off from a high point and drain it with a hand in his face. How many times have we seen Nowitzki do that through the years?

Need a bucket in crunch time? Here’s Markkanen off a mismatch to drain another fadeaway from the right block to force a second overtime against Poland.

The more Markkanen can develop a stronger post game during his rookie year, the better off he and the Bulls will be in the future. He showed some good things from the post-ups he got with Finland and he showed some struggles that can be attributed to him still growing into his body at 20 years old.

A key for Markkanen is being able to do more than just shoot in his rookie season and beyond. When he spots up from deep, he’s lights out. If he can become that on the post-ups he receives, he becomes a even more dangerous player for teams to stop.

The focus for Hoiberg moving forward will be to generate more open perimeter shots like the rest of the league with the Bulls’ young core. It’s what he became known for at Iowa State with the “Hoiball” offense.

But, utilizing Markkanen’s post-ups with shooters around him can bring success offensively in the future. He’s shown the ability to pass if he finds himself not in a position to score from a block.

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