Markkanen emerges as star
Forget the incessant talk about tanking around the Bulls.
As midseason hits, a smarter debate surrounds whether any NBA team drafted a player better than Lauri Markkanen last June.
After Markkanen’s emphatic excellence in a double-overtime victory against the Knicks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden — 33 points, 10 rebounds and a Finnish-ing touch provided with a powerful dunk over Enes Kanter — good luck finding anybody from the draft class of 2017 who means any more to his franchise.
Ben Simmons of the 76ers figures to win Rookie of the Year honors, but the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NBA draft sat out last season with an injury, giving him a year to adjust to the professional lifestyle and work on his body. A year ago at this time, Markkanen was dominating the Pac-12 as a 19-year-old at Arizona.
Markkanen’s value to a Bulls organization in the midst of rebuilding goes beyond the 15.4 points and 7.6 rebounds he averaged in his first 39 NBA games. The ceiling seems higher every time the smooth 7-foot shooter takes the court. His increasing comfort level can be seen in his last five games, when he averaged 20 points and eight rebounds while shooting 54 percent from 3-point range. In his best outing of the season against the Knicks, Markkanen tied Dirk Nowitzki’s record for 3-pointers from a 7-footer with eight. That gave Markkanen 94 3s this season, five more than any other player in NBA history through 39 games, according to Bulls statistics guru Jeff Mangurten.
Comparisons of Markkanen to Kristaps Porzingis of the Knicks, one of the league’s top power forwards, already come easily. But comparing Markkanen with the six players drafted ahead of him gives a fuller appreciation of how fortunate the Bulls are.
Injuries have limited top pick Markelle Fultz to four games with the 76ers. Lonzo Ball, taken No. 2, shows promise as the Lakers’ point guard of the future but comes with baggage heredity impossible to unload. Jayson Tatum, the third choice, fits in nicely on the Celtics complementing Kyrie Irving, averaging 13.9 points in 43 games. First impressions of the next three players selected before the Bulls moved up to No. 7 — Josh Jackson of the Suns, De’Aaron Fox of the Kings and Jonathan Isaac of the Magic — make it fair to wonder if those teams feel a tinge of regret for letting Markkanen pass.
If the NBA held a redraft this week, how many players would go before Markkanen? Any? Two? Three? The immediate impact Markkanen has had potentially changes the context of a Bulls season that has held our interest much longer than expected. A team once ticketed for 60 losses has morphed into a fun one to watch, a collection of young players trying to prove themselves playing in an offense that finally functions the way coach Fred Hoiberg always promised. Like the White Sox, Jerry Reinsdorf’s other team that lost 95 games last year, the Bulls have managed to generate hopeful enthusiasm despite a .357 winning percentage through 42 games — 15-27.
Everything starts with Markkanen, the type of transformational player teams tank seasons to draft. The Bulls entered training camp with many believing they should take the well-traveled road out of NBA purgatory during the 2017-18 season, a path that goes south before veering north again. The point of bottoming out revolves around the idea a team will position itself high enough in the NBA draft to select a future superstar.
The Bulls found that guy last year at No. 7, a reality that should frame all the relative success of this season. If a 20-year-old leads an unexpected charge toward respectability, what is not to like?
It becomes tiresome seeing the typical reaction from many fans and media members complaining about draft status after a surprising victory such as the dramatic one against the Knicks. Markkanen’s emergence makes pulling for losses a tank-less job. Nobody denies the 2018 draft class likely will include possibly five prospects projected to be organizational centerpieces. But stop complaining if the Bulls finish with more victories than expected, in large part, due to contributions from a player drafted last year who already fits that description. The Bulls made the playoffs last year but benefited from the draft like a team that tanked.
The development of Markkanen suggests trading Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves will shape the future of the Bulls more than losing enough games to fall into the NBA draft lottery this year. The deal brought the Bulls three players whose growth puts them in a stronger position to one day compete for an Eastern Conference title than they would have been by keeping Butler. Markkanen flashes like a future All-Star. Point guard Kris Dunn, an elite defender, improved his shot and gives the Bulls an edge every young team needs. Zach LaVine, making his debut Saturday against the Pistons, offers even more hope if his game returns to form as expected after knee surgery. The trio playing together and establishing their own identity for this team adds excitement to the second half of the season.
The Bulls still should trade Niko Mirotic when they finally can Monday, but in the name of smart planning rather than so-called tanking. Mirotic, despite returning a feistier player after his altercation with Bobby Portis, appears to have enough interest for the Bulls to command a first-round draft pick in return. That would give the Bulls two draft picks in the first round to complement Markkanen, who looks more like a draft steal every day.
