The Chicago Bulls are entering the 2019-20 season with a more positive outlook than they did last year.
Bulls coach Jim Boylen believes that Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen can establish themselves as the team's star pillars moving forward.
“We believe in them,’’ Boylen said of the two after the free-agent frenzy subsided this past summer, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times. “I think it’s a statement of belief. I think we’ve made a commitment to this roster build out. Again, I use that kind of saying that they’ve got to take their crown and they’ve got to run with it. They’ve got to wear it, they’ve got to own it, and they’ve got to do it. We think they can.’’
Boylen acknowledges that both of them have shown flashes that they are capable of becoming the main men in Chi-Town. This season, however, he is challenging LaVine and Markkanen to do it more consistently, throughout 82 games if they must.
“I know they can,’’ Boylen said. “They’ve done it. What we want them to do is do it more consistently, and they’ve both had great moments in a Bulls uniform, a great month, a great streak of games, but now we’ve got to do it for 82. That’s my challenge, their challenge, and we’re going to do it together.’’
Consistency is what separates the elite stars from just the stars. Most young players struggle with this in their first few years in the league. LaVine, 24, and Markkanen, 22, are no different.
LaVine had a hot start to his 2018-19 campaign, but eventually went back down to earth as the season progressed. Nevertheless, he still had a career-year and averaged 23.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.5 APG, while shooting 46.7 percent from the field.
Markkanen, on the other hand, struggled out of the gates after he missed the season's first 23 games due to injury. He eventually found his rhythm as the season went on, but it was still and up-and-down campaign for the most part for the Finnish-born big man. Nevertheless, Markkanen still had a productive campaign with averages of 18.7 PPG and 9.0 RPG on 43.0 percent field goal shooting.
For most of the NBA's elite, it takes just one good season overall for a star to be born and eventually blossom. Can at least one of the two, if not, both, have their breakout campaign this season?
Jim Boylen and the rest of Chicago certainly hope they do.
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