With Portis likely out and Mirotic out indefinitely, Chicago Bulls could turn to Lauri Markkanen
There’s a suspension likely coming for Bobby Portis after his punch landed flush on Nikola Mirotic’s face on Tuesday at practice. That means the Chicago Bulls don’t have a power forward for their season opener. It could be Lauri Markkanen’s time in Chicago already.
After Bobby Portis sent Nikola Mirotic straight to the hospital after a viscous punch that broken multiple bones in Mirotic’s face and gave him a concussion, the door has officially opened for Lauri Markkanen to become a starter for the Chicago Bulls on Opening Night in Toronto.
Mirotic is out “indefinitely”, according to the Bulls’ official news release after the incident happened at Tuesday’s practice. With a surgery likely coming for Mirotic and after a call with the NBA on the situation regarding his action on Tuesday, Portis will likely be suspended for his actions.
That leaves the Bulls without a forward next to Robin Lopez when the Bulls face the Raptors on Thursday night.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg hasn’t spoke publicly and none of the Bulls players or personnel have since the incident was reported Tuesday evening, but one of the main questions will be: who is the starting power forward for the Bulls on Thursday and moving forward into the season?
Hoiberg could go small and play four guards with Lopez. That’s certainly a possibility if he doesn’t want to put too much on Markkanen’s plate right off the bat. A lineup consisting of Jerian Grant, Justin Holiday, David Nwaba (or Denzel Valentine), Paul Zipser and Robin Lopez could be a move Hoiberg looks to make for Thursday night. A 10-man rotation was seemingly taking shape before the Portis punch to Mirotic.
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But, Hoiberg has made it clear that he’s high on Markkanen after training camp and a couple of preseason appearances — one where Markkanen scored 15 fourth-quarter points in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers — and Markkanen isn’t lacking any confidence as the season draws near.
“Like I said last time, I’m not lacking in confidence,” Markkanen said, via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune after the Cavaliers win last week. “Make one shot and I felt even better.”
The Bulls will need Markkanen’s shot-making abilities with Portis and Mirotic both out for an extended period of time up front. He’s the only big in the front court depth for the Bulls that can actually shoot it consistently from long range. It’s not a smart ask for Robin Lopez to shoot 16-18-foot jumpers consistently for 82 games again.
“He has a physical presence,” Hoiberg said last week after the win in Cleveland, via Johnson. “He has a little nasty streak to him, which we love. He’s not going to back down from anybody. He has some good athleticism. He moves his feet.”
There’s a possibility that Hoiberg could look to keep Markkanen as the four-man in the second unit to get his feet wet in the NBA. Hoiberg has already noted that he’s a fan of Cristiano Felicio and Markkanen playing together on the floor offensively with Felicio’s screening and rim-rolling. That could remain a second-unit feature for the Bulls heading into the opener if Hoiberg wants to play a little smaller and a tad quicker against the Raptors.
Next: There's an outlet with the Portis-Mirotic situation that could be taken
Until a definite punishment/solution has been made official from the Bulls about the Portis-Mirotic one-punch brawl, there’s no telling what’s going through the mind of Fred Hoiberg in the current moment, but the expectation/speculation from many (including myself) is that Lauri Markkanen could be in the starting lineup on Thursday night.