If there has been an upside to the lackluster 2017-18 NBA season for the lowly Chicago Bulls, it is that their current situation has allowed some of their younger players to take on increased roles. Among them has been rookie power forward Lauri Markkanen.
The seventh overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft has shown plenty of promise early on thanks to his versatile skill set. Markkanen even recently earned the praise of New York Knicks budding superstar power forward Kristaps Porzingis, according to ESPN's Ian Begley:
“He’s having a great year so far. He can shoot it from outside. He’s actually much more stronger than I was when I came into the league. I would say he’s more NBA ready than (I was) when I came in.”
Aside from coming overseas, there are plenty of similarities between Markkanen and Porzingis. Both are skilled 7-footers who are just as deadly from deep as they are in the paint. That said, it is not difficult to see that the Bulls rookie has a much more stout build than his wiry counterpart.
Markkanen is currently averaging 14.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season. Meanwhile, the former Arizona product is shooting a solid 33.1 percent from deep as well. Despite Chicago's struggles early on, it is clear that Markkanen will remain an integral part of their rebuild moving forward.
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