Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine says power forward Lauri Markkanen's spirit and confidence remains high despite his disappointing start to the season.
After losing to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, the Bulls dropped to 4-8 on the season. Markkanen, who was expected to produce at a near-All-Star level this season for Chicago, is really struggling with his shot, but LaVine says everyone on the team has gone through some struggles in the new offense, not just Markkanen:
Zach LaVine said he has talked to Lauri Markkanen and his spirits/confidence remain high: "He just doesn’t seem in rhythm right now man. It’s a new offense. And I think it has a part to do with it. We just gotta help him find it. We’ve all gone through some struggles."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 15, 2019
Markkanen is averaging 14.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game on the season for the Bulls. He's shooting just 37.6 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from beyond the arc and 82.5 percent from the free-throw line.
No one saw this type of regression from Markkanen coming. He put up 18.7 points per game last season and said he got stronger this offseason. However, Markkanen has been getting bullied in the paint and hasn't been finishing through contact, something he did on a regular basis last season.
There's still a lot of games left for Markkanen to turn his season around and become that star the Bulls need him to be. Lauri just needs to let the game come to him and shoot the ball with confidence instead of searching for shots that disrupt the flow of the Bulls' offense.
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