Chicago Bulls: 3 things we wish were April Fools’ Day jokes
By Luke Askew
2. Lauri Markkanen’s 2019-20 season
One positive thing that came from trading an in-his-prime Jimmy Butler (sigh) was the hope of Lauri Markkanen turning into a generational talent.
After an incredibly inspiring rookie campaign, Bulls fans thought Markkanen was the future of the franchise. I mean, why not? He’s a 7-footer who shot the heck out of the ball from deep and was athletic/agile enough to put the ball on the deck and get to the rim.
Now, as his third season is coming to a close (or is perhaps already over), Bulls fans are wondering if he should be a part of future plans.
In the 2019-20 season, when he wasn’t battling injuries, Markkanen was an offensive afterthought. He hung out on the 3-point line and was basically a taller Doug McDermott (no offense, Doug, I still love you). Markkanen showed about two percent of what had Bulls fans so excited about his future. The other 98 percent was nowhere to be found.
If Markkanen can’t find ways to be a multidimensional offensive threat, his NBA career will be immensely underwhelming.