Chicago Bulls: 3 Reasons Lauri Markkanen will not be returning next year

Reason No. 2 the Chicago Bulls won’t be retaining Lauri Markkanen: Inconsistent Contributions

Tying directly into the financial implications, as all three reasons do tie into one another, is the performance Markkanen has displayed over the years, but most significantly this season. Consider the significant amount of cap space that will be needed to retain him in upcoming years and compare that to the performance he has had this season.

They don’t line up. There is no way to line them up without banking on Markkanen becoming an entirely different player and producer on the court. While some teams that have different goals than the Chicago Bulls make sense as investors in him, the Bulls simply don’t.

They can’t get what they need out of him, making investing in him not worth seriously considering. That was already very clear before he was moved into a bench role this season, though that change sealed the deal on his inability to contribute on a consistent level.

Maybe, just maybe, had he shown an ability early on to thrive in that role things would be a little bit different. The fact that he has used the change in role to remind those watching of his ups and downs on the court makes the upcoming move inevitable.

In some games, he is on fire and makes a huge difference with his shooting as a big man. In other games, he isn’t very interested in taking shots at all. Markkanen almost never contributes in other ways these days.

The fourth-year big man is on pace to finish this season with career-low averages across the board. Although his shooting percentages are up, that is negated by the lack of willingness to be a scorer each and every night.

Far too many of his shot attempts are coming from three. No assertiveness by him to use his size to get into a rhythm with some easy makes is shown. If he isn’t hitting from outside early he isn’t going to make an impact.

The inconsistencies are a major reason he will not be returning to the Chicago Bulls for the 2021-22 NBA season.