Chicago Bulls: Lauri Markkanen’s biggest strength and biggest weakness

Since it’s an early offseason for the Chicago Bulls, we might as well run through some of the core players biggest strengths and weaknesses. First up: Lauri Markkanen.

The rookie out of Arizona had a stellar first year. Everyone knows that. But what’s his biggest strength compared to his biggest weakness? Let’s dive right into it.

Biggest Strength

The obvious answer here is his shooting. Setting all sorts of rookie records from behind the arc – his shooting is top-notch.

*Quick side note: I’m still salty that he wasn’t in the three-point contest* 

But let me get a little more specific than just “shooting.” Lauri Markkanen’s biggest strength is his quick trigger. He catches and releases extremely quickly, not allowing the defense to contest. Also, his seven-foot frame and high shooting position combined with that quick trigger, make it easy for Markkanen to get his shot off basically whenever he wants.

Most of Markkanen’s three’s come from spot-ups, which is completely understandable. But personally, I love watching him work in pick-and-pop scenarios.

Watch this highlight reel from his monstrous game against the Knicks and be on the lookout for two things:

1. The pick-and-pop play.
2. His lightning fast release.

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/951298576306466817

Biggest Weakness

Many of you might be thinking that this is an obvious one as well – defense, right?

Well, I’m not so sure.

Coming into the season, I would have said defense for sure but he showed some excellent flashes of defense and rim protection at times throughout this season. It’s still a work in progress, but it isn’t nearly as bad as everyone thought it would be.

In my opinion, his biggest weakness is his lack of aggression at times. I’ve mentioned this before, but sometimes he seems to fall victim to the “Kevin Love Effect” as I like to call it. This means that he’ll go stretches of the game where you forget he’s even out there – basically a non-factor.

Now, in Lauri’s defense, a lot of that blame can be put on the team as well. Everyone on the floor needs to do a better job of getting Lauri involved early and often. That’s when the Chicago Bulls are at their best. But I think Lauri simply has to demand the ball more often. Some of this probably comes from only being 20-years-old, so I expect this to change as he grows and matures in this league.

But he has to demand the ball early and often. He has to be that guy.

Bonus Analysis: Biggest Surprise

The biggest surprise in Markkanen’s game this year has definitely been his ability to take his defender off the dribble and Finnish (this kills me every time) around the basket. In the draft, everyone labeled him as just a shooter. He even got Channing Frye comparisons. No disrespect to Channing Frye, but I think Lauri proved every single person wrong. He is not just a shooter.

Here’s one example:

Next: Would the Bulls be crazy to sign Derrick Rose?

It’s been awesome watching the game of Lauri Markkanen progress thus far and I know all Bulls fans are excited to continue watching. Hopefully, that aggression shows up a bit more, but things are looking good for the young fella.