Bulls coach Jim Boylen hasn’t felt the need to defend Lauri Markkanen lately.
Then again, neither have opposing NBA teams.
Therein lies the ongoing problem for the Bulls.
The third-year 7-foot forward is more than in just a rut to start the season. He’s basically a no-show. A 35-point statement made in the opener in Charlotte by Markkanen, and then it’s as if he’s been relegated to a witness protection program.
Fine, it’s only 12 games. Plenty of season left. Yes, if Markkanen was just another 22-year-old finding his way in the Association.
He’s not, however.
The Bulls made that very clear this offseason, when both the front office and the coaching staff admitted that Year 3 of this rebuild centered around making decisions to elevate the games of Zach LaVine and Markkanen.
Those were the pillars that would hold this rebuild up.
One currently has a very unstable crack in it.
“[Markkanen] just doesn’t seem in rhythm right now, man,’’ LaVine said of his teammate on Friday. “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. I feel like everybody has been off rhythm in the beginning part of the year. I think everybody is shooting a lower field goal percentage than their [career] average. I feel like everybody is trying their best to help the one person that is struggling.
“I talked to him. His spirits are still high. I know he’s worried about it but he’s not pressing yet. And I think that’s good to see. He hasn’t done anything out of character. He hasn’t lashed out or blamed anybody. He just wants to win. And that’s the type of player he is. We just have to do a better job of helping him get to his rhythm and find him. It sucks because you don’t want to see your guy out there struggling, especially you know how good he is and what he can do. He had that great first game [against the Hornets]. We haven’t been able to get back to it. We gotta find him some easy baskets to help him get in a rhythm. Without him, it’s going to be tough to play.’’
Likely 4-8 tough.
That’s where the Bulls currently sit in the standings. And while there are numerous reason why, Markkanen’s play can’t be ignored as being atop that list.
Sure, his overall numbers aren’t that far off from previous seasons. Markkanen will enter the Saturday game with Brooklyn averaging 14.4 points per game. He averaged 18.7 last season and 15.2 as a rookie. He’s also grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game, the same average from his rookie season.
The numbers that jump off the stat page? Markkanen is only shooting 37.6 percent from the field – down from 43 percent last season. And his three-point shooting is an even bigger dip – going from 36.1 percent last season to sitting at 27.8 right now.
Markkanen keeps giving the same excuses, with finding his way in a new offensive system as the headliner.
Maybe there is something to that, but Boylen feels there’s other things going on as well.
“I think in general, the league is more prepared for him,’’ Boylen said. “I think in general, he’s A1 or A2 on the scouting report and they’re bringing physicality at him every night. I also think we’ve demanded that he play better defense and more consistent defense. So being a two-way player at this level is very difficult. If you look at some of the matchup he’s had, there are some tough matchups in our division, from [Kevin] Love to Giannis [Antetokounmpo] to Blake Griffin and these are all learning things for him.
“Yeah, we want him to be the Lauri Markkanen he was [last] February. We believe he can do that. Is he frustrated with that and does he want it? I show him the things he needs to do better. He understands what he needs to do, he’s not a dummy. And he cares about the team. When he will break through, how he will break through – I can’t tell you that. All I can tell you is he’s trying to control the things he can control.’’
Until then, the Bulls will continue searching for Markkanen to reemerge.
A 7-foot Finn shouldn’t be that hard to find.
