MINNEAPOLIS – It was just a dip of the toe in the water for Lauri Markkanen on Wednesday, but at least the third-year Bulls forward was willing to get wet again.
Markkanen missed 15 games because of a right pelvis injury, and while it was tough to judge him against the Timberwolves because of the minutes restriction he’s working under, according to coach Jim Boylen he understands the magnitude of the final 20 regular-season games.
“I think he does,’’ Boylen said. “We met [Wednesday] morning and talked about it, and I think he gets it.
“I’m not going to share the whole conversation but we’ve talked, and he knows what we expect. He’s anxious to do those things. Play hard, compete, defend and rebound. That’s kind of my mantra with everybody. And let your offense come around. He knows what we want, and he’s a willing guy. I just hope he can stay healthy and play his minutes with energy.’’
Boylen’s not alone in that boat.
The entire organization would like to see Markkanen finish the season strong, especially with how inconsistent his 2019-20 campaign was before he had to deal with the injury.
Considering Markkanen and Zach LaVine were considered the two foundation pieces for the entire rebuild, the fact that the 7-footer struggled was not a good sign. To make matters worse, privately Markkanen hasn’t been thrilled with his role in the offense.
Far too often he’s been “The Big Decoy’’ rather than “The Finnisher,’’ as he was tagged his rookie year.
Of course the always-stoic Markkanen wasn’t going to make a big deal of what the remainder of the season means to him.
“Just get in the system again and compete and be aggressive,’’ Markkanen said of finishing off the rest of the year. “Hopefully I can help the team get some wins down the stretch.’’
One good sign from Markkanen? Two minutes into the second quarter, he actually went into the post, was given the ball against Minnesota forward Jake Layman, backed him down, and made the strong move off the glass for his first basket since Jan. 24.
That sparked him for an 8-0 run.
“Physically I feel better now,’’ Markkanen, who was also dealing with an early-season ankle injury, said. “At the same time, I got some time to actually put my ankle together too. Physically, I think it was good for me. And I’m ready to go.’’
Playing it safe
The NBA sent out videos for teams to show the players concerning the coronavirus and preventive measures they can take, and the Bulls had their turn watching it before the game in Minneapolis.
“We met with our team, we showed them a video that the league sent us,’’ Boylen said. “I think it’s important. The video was about the basics, you know, wash your hands and try maybe not to have an open-hand touch, more knuckle-bumps, all that stuff. Hey, it’s an issue that’s out there and the league is on top of it.’’
Boylen said that his players are well aware of what has been going on with the virus, but didn’t seem to be dwelling on it.
“I haven’t heard much concern from the players, but I know they know it’s out there,’’ Boylen said. “I think what you think about in these situations is your parents, my mom is 83, and my kids are 12 and 14. I think you think about those things more than you think about yourself.’’
