Lauri Markkanen’s EuroBasket excellence is frustrating for the Bulls

Although most Chicago Bulls fans watching EuroBasket 2022 are likely there to see the Goran Dragic and Luka Doncic show, perhaps one of the most surprising developments of the tournament has been the dominance of former Bull Lauri Markkanen.

Through seven games of EuroBasket play, Markkanen averaged 27.9 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 54.2% from the field and 40.5% from beyond the arc. These numbers cast a large shadow over his typical NBA production, as Lauri has never achieved 20 points, 8 rebounds, or 50% shooting averages in his entire career.

Despite losing in the quarter-finals, I doubt Finland feels too bad about its performance in the tournament. Winning three of five games in the group stage before knocking out an accomplished Croatian team in the first round is showing anyone watching back at home would be proud to see.

To top it all off, Finland took global basketball powerhouse Spain to the very end. If the Spaniards end up going all the way, forcing a close contest against the European champions would be another notch in Markkanen’s already surprisingly decorated international career.

The version of Lauri Markkanen we saw suit up for the Chicago Bulls pales in comparison to the one representing Finland in this year’s EuroBasket.

This confident player we have seen dominate the tournament looks nothing like the same Markkanen who played for the Bulls. For the longest time, confidence was the biggest obstacle for Lauri in the NBA.

This is clearly seen by his only slightly above-average career usage percentage of 21.6%. For the sake of comparison, former teammate Zach LaVine’s lowest usage percentage as the main option in five seasons for the Bulls is 28.8%. For a team in the midst of a rebuild and in desperate need of a savior, Markkanen was never going to earn that role with these paltry numbers.

Just take a look at Lauri’s on-court presence and attitude during his 43-point performance against Croatia. You’d hardly even recognize him as the failed centerpiece of Chicago’s rebuild from 2017 to 2021.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0s_xAvnd54&ab_channel=FIBA-TheBasketballChannel

This may lead some fans to inevitably think about what could have been, but it’s worth remembering that this isn’t exactly the first time Markkanen has given false hope during international competition. In the past, Lauri also led the 2017 Finnish EuroBasket team in points and rebounds en route to achieving an impressive 4-1 record in the group stage.

Despite how frustrating it is that Markkanen never became the player the Chicago Bulls needed, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still rooting for Lauri and wishing him all the best. Now that he’s been traded once more to Utah, perhaps he can finally fulfill his promised potential and become a player capable of being a top option offensively.