It’s all or nothing for the Chicago Bulls ‘Big Three’
Call it a shot in the dark or a leap of faith. With the growing chemistry between Dunn and Markkanen, the Bulls have to find a way to help their ‘Big Three’ work.
The Chicago Bulls chips haven’t been fully pushed on the table, but their cards sure are showing. It’s obvious to anyone looking that the organization has committed fully to the tank. Odds are stacking in their favor that they’ll be able to draft a high lottery pick.
But for anyone thinking that the current rebuild involves enticing high-priced free agents like an Aaron Gordon or a Jabari Parker, they should think again. And forget about trying to pry a high-caliber player like Kawhi Leonard from the Spurs.
No, the Bulls have laid what they believe to be a solid foundation in Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen. And the chemistry developed in December and January provided a large enough return showing the effectiveness of the two together. The two provided a jolt to the teams play as everyone awaited the appearance of Zach Lavine.
But the play of Markkanen and Dunn aren’t the key to turning things around. The key depends on how quickly Lavine can adapt his game to match the style of play with them both. Can these three function together, and more importantly can it translate into wins?
Anyone telling you they know the answer to those two questions is either psychic or just a plain liar.
Injuries, lack of conditioning, and a loss of practice time have all derailed any evidence that could change our perspective. All three have played a total of 12 games together. That’s unlikely to change with 6 games left to play.
Despite such a small sample size you can bet that the organization is committed to resigning Lavine at all costs. That’s why this off-season will be a crucial step for the Bulls moving forward.
An off-season of uncertainty and hope awaits this team moving forward
Dunn has to find the right balance between playing aggressive and playing reckless. He needs to work on his ability to finish at the rim. His ability to run an offense and know when to look for his shot has to improve. And speaking of shooting, a respectable 35% or higher on treys would be nice.
Markkanen won’t have a summer of international ball on his plate and will have plenty of time to work on his handle and improve on his post play. Ironically enough, he would also benefit from working on his sweet three-point shooting stroke he was known for in Arizona.
Lavine, however, needs to show the biggest growth. He’s a nightmare when breaking his man off the dribble, but also when his shot isn’t falling. His athleticism has come back, and he shows no hesitation when going hard to the rim. But he needs to learn to trust his teammates more and look for them within the offense.
To figure all of this out will take hard work, commitment, and practice together. More importantly it will take time.
And at this point during the season, on the outside of the playoffs, that’s all they’ll have to focus on.