Yes, there are concerns with Lauri Markkanen and his health.
Rightfully so.
The second-year Bulls big man has now had two known incidents this season where he was effected by a rapid heart rate, and both occurred in the last month.
It was after a quadruple-overtime marathon in Atlanta that Markkanen first told reporters that he felt off in the first half, initially concerned with a racing heart. He plowed through, finishing that Mar.1 win with 31 points and 17 rebounds, but it bothered him enough to make it public.
Then it happened again early on in the Tuesday loss in Toronto, but this time Markkanen wasn’t searching out some badge of courage.
His play was low-energy enough where coach Jim Boylen took notice and opted to sit him in the second half.
According to a source, Markkanen was still dealing with the rapid heart rate in the locker room throughout halftime, then felt better after showering and eating a bit, but then became light-headed and felt off once again as the team was getting ready to board the bus for the airport.
That’s when the team reached out to the medical personnel for the Raptors, getting a recommendation for a local hospital to take Markkanen for some initial testing.
All those tests came back clean, and when Markkanen felt better Wednesday morning, he jumped a flight back to Chicago. The fact that it was strike two, however, led to the organization’s decision to shut him down, and continue further testing over the next two weeks just to make sure there isn’t something bigger going on.
“I think it’s always serious when a guy doesn’t feel well,’’ Boylen said of that decision. “We always take those things to heart. He’s a big part of what we’re building, an important piece to the future. He’s a young, developing guy.’’
Boylen’s right. Markkanen’s health and development are an important “piece to the future’’ of this rebuild, but not the only piece.
Which may lead to some bigger concerns going on.
The best ability an NBA player can have is availability, and right now the Bulls have built a core that can’t stay healthy.
And no, there’s no Tom Thibodeau to blame anymore.
The former Bulls coach became the front office’s punching bag when it came to pointing fingers at injury problems in his tenure, but Thibodeau has now been gone almost four seasons, and the team’s injury problems have actually escalated in that time.
It starts with Markkanen, who is arguably the most important piece of the rebuild because of his talent ceiling. He played 68 games in his rookie campaign, dealing with several bumps and bruises, headlined by concerns with his back. And followed that up with just 52 games this season, first because of an elbow injury and now the rapid heart rate concerns.
Then there’s Zach LaVine, who had to have anterior cruciate ligament surgery midway through the 2016-17 campaign, and has averaged just under 45 games per year since, whether it was rehab from the knee or currently the concerns with his right patellar tendon.
Kris Dunn played in 52 games last season, mostly because of a fluke injury when he landed on his face, but this season has been hampered with knee, ankle and now back issues, limiting him to just 46 games.
Finally, the Bulls acquired veteran Otto Porter last month from Washington, but even Porter’s durability is now a concern, with the forward playing only 15 games last season, and 41 this year.
“We would love to be a team that was healthy all year,’’ veteran Robin Lopez said. “That’s just not our reality.’’
A scary thought as this rebuild moves forward.
