OAKLAND, Calif. – There is a ceiling in sight for Zach LaVine.
Not to say the Bulls guard is near reaching it, but there are limits to his game.
LaVine has shown flashes of All-Star potential.
Superstar potential, however? That could be a tough ask.
Enter Lauri Markkanen.
As if the Bulls needed a reminder on this current five-city road trip, but a loss in Portland on Wednesday and then a visit with the defending champion Warriors on Friday, again showed the rebuilding Bulls just how important having a superstar on the roster really is.
Markkanen is a 7-footer, plays with physicality in the paint, and can shoot it like a two guard from outside. He checks all the boxes of NBA unicorn. Now it’s time for him to start showing superstar potential.
Yes, a right elbow injury in training camp cost him 10 weeks of the season, but Markkanen even admitted that he has to start becoming a force.
“I’ve got to look in the mirror at myself first, and how can I do better?’’ Markkanen said. “I think it all starts with that.’’
Maybe, but it definitely doesn’t end there.
There is still a glaring problem with the number of touches Markkanen gets a game. It’s as if his teammates forget he’s on the roster far too often. The blame also falls on Markkanen for not demanding the ball more often.
In the last three Bulls wins, Markkanen averaged 17.6 attempts. In four of their last five losses, the second-year big man was averaging 12.2 attempts. The numbers don’t lie.
“I’m sure it’s both,’’ Markkanen said, when asked if it was his teammates needing to find him more or him becoming more aggressive and demanding the ball. “And if there’s times where guys don’t find me they will find me once I am more aggressive and stuff.
“We’re all good friends with each other so we talk about everything. This is still a new system, so the sample size is not so big. Just try and stay positive and keep an open mind about it.
“There’s games where I get the ball a lot and there’s games where I don’t. So I just try to control what I can control. Play defense and do my best on that end of the court, and I know the offense will follow. It hasn’t been really consistent yet, but I’m sure that will come.’’
It better.
New coach Jim Boylen even knows that, now twice saying after recent losses that it was his fault Markkanen didn’t touch the ball more.
“It’s not just a him thing, it’s a team thing,’’ Boylen said. “I’d like him to be a little more greedy. I’d like him to be a little smarter with some of his possessions to get a quality shot. It’s part of the process. He missed games last year, he’s missed games this year. He’s probably just getting to a full first season right now. That’s not an excuse, but it’s the reality of it. I think he’s got to be timely in what he does, but also aggressive.’’
Because a good Markkanen makes the Bulls tick.
Before Friday against the Warriors, Markkanen averaged 24.8 points in the five wins he’s played in and just 14 points in the 13 losses.
The NBA is a superstar-based business, and since the Bulls can’t land one in free agency, they better be able to grow one.
“I agree, he’s a huge part of where we’re going,’’ Boylen said. “We need to help him and he needs to help himself, and we need to play better.’’
