Lauri Markkanen gave it a go on their Friday night schedule despite dealing with an ankle injury. The Chicago Bulls forward, however, isn't using that as an excuse for his poor performance in their 116-105 loss against the Indiana Pacers.
Markkanen on is his ankle is hurting: "Not when I’m playing. At least I’m not thinking about it during the game. I’m sure some movements are not as explosive as normal. But I have a choice. I want to play and help this team. That’s what I’m trying to do."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 11, 2020
Markkanen finished with just 11 points, five rebounds, and four assists and was a minus-18 in 34 minutes. He was rather passive with his shot, taking just nine attempts, making four of them. He did make three triples, though.
Despite the poor outing, Bulls head coach Jim Boylen still applauded Markkanen for continuing to grind it out to play without excuses.
Boylen on Markkanen: "If he can give you anything, he’ll play. And I think that’s great growth for him. It’s part of what we’re building here. If you can help the team, even if you’re hurting, you still try. He hasn’t made 1 excuse. He hasn’t pouted. He hasn’t asked to come out."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 11, 2020
The Finnish-born forward had been dealing with the ankle issue over the past few days. To his credit, however, Markkanen still hasn't missed any time due to the injury. Markkanen, in fact, has yet to miss a game this season, playing in all of Chicago's 39 contests so far.
However, the 7-foot stretch four has had a bit of a down season in his third year in the NBA. At around the mid-way point of the season, Markkanen is putting up 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds, while shooting just 42 percent from the field, 35 percent from beyond the arc, and 82.6 percent from the charity stripe. All of these numbers are career-lows for the 2018 All-Rookie First Team member.
As with the injury he is currently dealing with, it might be best for Markkanen to sit out a game or two to fully heal his ailing ankle. It's still a long season anyway, and he can afford to miss a couple of games to avoid any further damage to his ankle.
The Bulls are still way below the Eastern Conference standings with a 13-26 record, despite having high hopes prior to the start of the 2019-20 season.
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