The Chicago Bulls entered Saturday's action with the league's last-ranked offense. Against the Boston Celtics of all opponents, though, Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen gave long-suffering Windy City fans what they hope so much is a sign of things to come.
LaVine confirmed as much after the game, too, telling K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune he and Markkanen aren't finished lighting up the scoreboard simultaneously.
Zach LaVine, when asked about he and Lauri Markkanen becoming 1st Bulls to both score 35 or more points in same game since MJ/Pippen in Nov. 1996: “We’ll have more of those.”
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 24, 2019
Nobody is asking LaVine and Markkanen to be Chicago's next Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, of course. No fan base should ever have such unrealistic expectations of any talented young tandem, let alone one whose limitations, big as they are, come mostly on the other side of the floor. LaVine is one of the league's most clueless defenders both on and off the ball, and Markkanen will always be beset by his lack of both positional length and overall quickness. Jordan and Pippen, of course, are perhaps the best pair of perimeter defenders in NBA history.
But nobody in Chicago cared about the flaws of LaVine and Markkanan after the Bulls' 126-116 victory over the Celtics. LaVine had 42 points, six rebounds, and four assists on 17-of-29 shooting, and Markkanen went for 35 points and 15 rebounds on 12-of-20 from the field. They combined for eight threes.
The Bulls' future hinges on the development of LaVine, Markkanen, and rookie Wendell Carter, Jr. more than anyone else in the organization. Outings like this are certainly encouraging, but don't do much to change the team's realistically modest outlook until they happen consistently.
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