The Chicago Bulls take on the Indiana Pacers Tuesday, and new head coach Jim Boylen said second-year stretch forward Lauri Markkanen will make his first start of the season.
Markkanen missed the first 23 games of the season after sustaining a right elbow injury during training camp. The 21-year-old made his season debut on Saturday against the Houston Rockets, but came off the bench.
Markkanen finished with 10 points versus the Rockets in 25 minutes while shooting 4-of-14 from the field and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. Jabari Parker will go back to the bench with Markkanen returning to the starting lineup.
Boylen: “Markkanen will start Tuesday.” Jabari will come off the bench.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) December 3, 2018
During his rookie season with the Bulls, Lauri Markkanen exceeded expectations and produced at a high level. In 68 regular-season games, Markkanen averaged 15.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from beyond the arc and 84.3 percent from the free-throw line. He made the All-Rookie first team as well.
The Bulls are currently 5-19 on the season, 14th place in the Eastern Conference. Chicago fired head coach Fred Hoiberg on Monday. The team is 28th in scoring (103.4 points per game) and last in the league in offensive rating.
To be fair, the Bulls' offense struggled partially because Lauri Markkanen and others have been out of the lineup with injuries. The club should see its offensive numbers rise now that he's back in the lineup. It's going to take some time for Markkanen to find his rhythm, but once he does, he is the best player on the Bulls.
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