Chicago Bulls: 3 players facing a make-or-break stretch run this season

Make-or-break stretch for Chicago Bulls players: Lauri Markkanen

There might not be a more hotly discussed Bulls player of late than the fourth-year power forward and former Arizona Wildcat Lauri Markkanen. This Finnish seven-footer and smooth shooting big man came out of the gates hot for the Bulls this season but has greatly slowed in the last couple of months.

A combination of inconsistent spots in the rotation, losing his feel in shooting and driving on offense, and recurring injury issues, has played Markkanen in the last month or two. And this is not a good time for that to happen since Markkanen is currently sitting in the midst of the final year of his rookie contract.

Since first-year executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley didn’t hand Markkanen a contract extension last offseason, he’s set to hit the restricted free agent market come this summer. Markkanen is still likely to be a highly sought-after free agent come this offseason.

But just how many teams are interested in throwing a lot of money, maybe even including the Bulls, out of restricted free agent agency will largely depend on how he plays down the stretch this season. In 37 games played with the Bulls this season, Markkanen averaged 14.6 points per game, 5.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks.

And Markkanen has shot a still efficient 47.9 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 83.1 percent from the free-throw line.