Chicago Bulls: 4 takeaways from scrimmages in group workouts
By Nick Porr
1) Takeaways from Chicago Bulls group scrimmage: Lauri Markkanen looked great
Last season, Lauri Markkanen looked nothing like the player we saw in his first two NBA seasons. The sharpshooting power forward showed one of the sharpest third season regressions possible, diving in almost every statistic:
2018-2019: 32.2 MPG/18.7 PPG/7.6 REB/15.3 FGA/43.0 FG%/ USG 24.5%
2019-2020: 29.8 USG/14.7 PPG/6.3 REB/11.8 FGA/42.5 FG%/ USG 20.9%
We saw it last season very clearly: coach Jim Boylen did not know how to use Markkanen, nor did he even want to use him. His usage rate, shot attempts, and playtime all dove last season, shocking fans who expected the young prospect to blossom further into stardom after a breakout campaign the year prior.
Boylen had him banging down low in the post like a traditional big, and forcing plays on his own instead of playing off ball, the way a three point specialist like Markkanen should be used. Because of his sporadic playtime and usage, he never found his rhythm.
In these scrimmages, Markkanen was used right. Throughout each game, he was draining standstill threes with confidence and comfort that he just didn’t have last year. If the Billy Donovan can channel this version of The Finnisher, he could be in for a resurgence in his third season in the league.