Lauri Markkanen was swimming in uncharted waters.
Averaging 26 points and 12.2 rebounds per game, while shooting just under 49 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from three-point range isn’t a place many big men, let alone 7-footers, dwell.
Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid was sitting at 27.5 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, but shooting just 29 percent from three.
MVP-candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo was 27.5 and 12.7 per game, but again under 25 percent from three-point range.
Then there’s New Orleans standout Anthony Davis, who was averaging 27 points and 12 rebounds per game, shooting 33.3 percent from three-point range.
So of course Markkanen should be feeling pretty good about the company he was keeping.
The problem for the Bulls’ second-year player?
His stay was just a one-month rental, with Markkanen putting up those numbers in the month of February. Embiid, Antetokounmpo and Davis have been doing it all season long.
That’s the on-going search for Markkanen.
One month of numbers like that is promise. A season of numbers like that is superstar status.
“Last year I kind of surprised some teams with the way I could shoot the ball, and had a couple good games,’’ Markkanen said of that chase for consistency. “Not surprising anybody this year, so kind of had to figure it out, how to get different coverages and stuff like that. You play a lot of games in this league so it’s tough to be consistent. You’ve got to be mentally tough to do that.’’
And beyond confident.
That’s why when Markkanen was asked after the Wednesday win over Washington if he could become that “superstar’’ presence that this rebuild will need, there was no hesitation.
“I mean my confidence is up there and obviously I have a long way to go,’’ Markkanen said. “I was playing better in February and thinking that I can play like that in the future too, just [more] consistently. I’ve got a ways to go, but my confidence is definitely way up there to be one of those.’’
Good news for the Bulls.
Make that great news.
If Markkanen’s ceiling is superstar status, the rebuild looks completely different. With Wendell Carter Jr. still untapped and another high pick expected in June, who knows if there’s more in-house stardom on the way. That would take the pressure off the front office of vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman, who are yet to land an elite free agent in their tenure.
But that all starts with Markkanen and the “if.’’
As good as Markkanen was in February was as confusing as his March has been. He looked more enigma than go-to player, averaging just 17.4 points per game and 8.8 rebounds, while his three-point shooting dropped to 32 percent.
Markkanen admittedly studied some film to see if he was mechanically off in some way, but found very little wrong.
“There was a couple of times I was – and I knew it even before I watched film – that I was fading away and [the shot] was short,’’ Markkanen said. “So just trying to focus on my follow-through and being balance, but that’s pretty much all I did.’’
Against the Wizards he looked more than fixed.
Markkanen finished with 32 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, handed out five assists, and shot 5-for-8 from three-point range.
“February’’ Markkanen was back.
Now it’s about keeping him back.
“It feels good obviously,’’ Markkanen said of the performance. “I didn’t change anything. Just kept working on it every day before practice, after practice, doing whatever I need to do.’’
