Lauri Markkanen injuries used to have a feeling of debilitation to them.
When the Bulls versatile big man would be sidelined for a period of time, it was as if one of the cement pillars holding up the organizational roof had crumbled. A doom and gloom that would only fully dissipate upon his return.
Used to.
As the last 10 games have shown, this isn’t 2019 anymore.
Since the 7-footer was sidelined with a right shoulder sprain, all the Bulls have done in his absence is arguably play some of their best brand of basketball in years.
Sure, the 7-3 record without Markkanen wasn’t exactly against the NBA elite, but wins in Indiana and Orlando, as well as home wins over the likes of New Orleans and Sacramento, were still impressive.
As was the plus-55 point differential in that time.
Not the only games Markkanen has missed this season, either, as he was in the NBA health and safety protocol back in late December, with the Bulls going 3-4 in his absence, which included losses in Sacramento, and against both Los Angeles teams on the West Coast.
With the Bulls preparing to enter the All-Star Break next week, and then the Mar. 25 trade deadline heating up the Association’s rumor mill, of course Thursday was the right time to play devil’s advocate, and ask coach Billy Donovan if he and the organization feel differently about Markkanen moving forward.
“I don’t, I don’t,’’ Donovan said after an afternoon practice. “The injury that happened has obviously had him, we’re probably close to three weeks from the injury. It’s had him sidelined that long. We’ve had to learn to play without him. I don’t look at him differently at all. I still think he’s an important piece to our team, an important guy on our team. I think he’s worked really hard to get himself back healthy, and certainly there’s not much he can do other than the rehab piece of it.
“The body is going to have to heal that injury, but I still feel he’s an important component to our team and a valuable piece to our team.’’
Where it gets interesting with Markkanen is besides being a trade chip possibility, he and the organization couldn’t even get in the same ballpark in December as far as a contract extension.
That means he’s headed to restricted free agency if he stays with the Bulls, allowing the market to set a price on him.
Have decisions been made on the immediate future of Markkanen? No. He obviously still has time to change minds one way or the other, with the hope he’s back playing after the break.
What’s become obvious, however, is life without Markkanen doesn’t seem to sting like it used to.
“When you lose good players it impacts your team,’’ Donovan said. “But at the same point too, we’ve had to learn how to play without him, and Wendell [Carter], and Otto [Porter]. We’ve had to learn to do that.
“So I give some of the guys that have maybe gotten the opportunity to play, like Sato [Tomas Satoransky], like Luke [Kornet], like Arch [Ryan Arcidiacono], Denzel [Valentine], those guys have given us a really, really good boost. So hopefully if we can get whole as a team health-wise, you know we still have to incorporate those guys back in, and certainly roles and responsibilities change, but I wouldn’t say that we’re playing necessarily better without [Markkanen]. It will be great to have him back, as good as a player as he is, but we’ve had to learn to play without several different players during the course of the early part of this season.’’
