Chicago Bulls: 3 unfortunate reasons Jim Boylen returns in 2020-21

2. Lauri Markkanen was the only young player that took a real step back

With the way that White finished out his rookie season and how potential rising star shooting guard Zach LaVine had a career-year, Boylen actually has some bit of something to boast on his resume. LaVine was nearly a first-time NBA All-Star selection, and White took the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors back to Chicago for February.

Really the only Bulls player that took a significant step back among those in the young core was the third-year former Arizona Wildcats seven-footer Lauri. In the season that was for the Bulls, Markkanen played in 50 games (starting in all of them).

He averaged 14.7 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Markkanen shot 42.5 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 82.4 percent from the free-throw line. That amounted to Markkanen registering a career-low -0.5 box plus/minus rating, 0.5 value over replacement player rating, .084 win shares per 48 minutes, and a 56.0 true shooting percentage.

If Markkanen manages to have a bounce back season in the final year of his rookie contract, then keeping Boylen around might, dare I say, be worth it. But Markkanen’s lack of touches in the spots he usually gets hot from and just an overall lack of consistent role alongside fellow forward Thaddeus Young makes it so that a new head coach would probably benefit him.

Not only would a head coaching change benefit Markkanen, it could do the same for the longevity of LaVine’s career and his accolades, and it would definitely help out WCJ.

The problem is that Boylen actually had some decent numbers to boast for some of the pieces of the Bulls young core during the 2019-20 campaign.