Chicago Bulls: Player grades for 2019-2020 season
Lauri Markkanen
Although incredibly disappointing last season, a lot of Lauri Markkanen‘s lack of production is largely not his fault. Between health issues and the fact that Jim Boylen is utterly clueless as to how to utilize the sharpshooting big, Lauri took a step back statistically and ended up having the least productive season of his young career.
Taking a closer look at Markkanen’s numbers, he was about as efficient as he has been throughout the entirety of his career, with the exception of a slight dip in his three point shooting percentages. Under Jim Boylen, Markkanen’s minutes took a slide and his field goal attempts per game went down by a whopping four attempts per game, which is utterly unexplainable for a player of Markkanen’s ability.
Essentially, Jim Boylen had Markkanen playing an off-ball, stretch-four role, much like Ryan Anderson back when he was in the NBA. Although Lauri’s best quality as a player is his combination of size and floor spacing, limiting him to an off-ball role is simply absurd.
Unlike players like Ryan Anderson, Markkanen is far too athletic and crafty to be limited to catch-and-shoot opportunities, especially when the Bulls lack a legitimate facilitator. Whether or not Jim Boylen will be back on the Bulls’ bench next season is unclear, but in order for Chicago to win, whoever is drawing up the Chicago offense must give Lauri a larger, more active role.