Chicago Bulls: 3 players with the most on the line in 2020-21
1) Chicago Bulls with most on the line in 20-21
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Power Forward. Age: 23. 1. player. Lauri Markkanen. 24
By a good margin, the player in this Bulls young core that has the most to prove this season is going to be the 23-year-old former Arizona Wildcats seven-footer and power forward Lauri Markkanen. This potent floor spacing big man Markkanen has a ton of promise that he brings to the table for the Bulls. Hopefully the changing in schemes and front office/coaching staff upgrades benefit Markkanen in the final year of his rookie contract.
It’s obvious that whenever a player like Markkanen is in the midst of the final year of his rookie contract, that he has a lot of pressure on him to improve his game, and fast. Markkanen did show a lot of signs of improvement around the end of his second season in the NBA. He ended the 2018-19 campaign very much on a high note.
However, that all changed last season. During the shortened 2019-20 regular season, Markkanen played in 50 games for the Bulls (all of which he started in). And 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.
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Since Markkanen did take a sizable step back last season, he’ll need to show a lot of improvement this season to prove to Karnisovas and Eversley that he is worth bringing back next offseason. The looming contract situation with Markkanen with be one of the biggest overarching storylines for the Bulls front office over the next six or eight months.