NEWSLETTER
I like to keep a running list of the NBA’s best “change of scenery” candidates. You know the type: Good players in the wrong situations, that would probably thrive on another team if given the opportunity.
An example would be the Pelicans Brandon Ingram. The Lakers sent him to the Pelicans in that major Anthony Davis deal, and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft has since taken a huge jump forward (18.3 ppg to 25.6 ppg). Good player –> wrong situation –> change of scenery –> liftoff. It’s a tale as old as sports … and I think Lauri Markkanen is about to join those ranks.
To be clear, I neither want nor expect Markkanen to be on the move anytime soon, but it’s become obvious that the Bulls have done an incredibly poor job helping him take the next step in his career. And that’s a very serious problem.
Indeed, it’s no secret that Markkanen has backtracked this season. After a relatively strong 2018-19 campaign – when he came close to averaging a double-double (18.7 ppg, 9.0 reb) – Markkanen has regressed to just 14.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season. Worse, he appears even more passive than ever, and is suffering from an extreme lack of consistency. Of course, some of these problems are due to his own natural lack of aggression and personal development, but it also ultimately falls on the Bulls and, specifically, Jim Boylen.
For example, anyone close to Markkanen is quick to praise his surprising athleticism and versatile skill set for a seven-footer. And yet, we’ve barely seen the Bulls utilize that with this five-out offense. In fact, Markkanen is barely used in the pick-and-roll, and the plays drawn up for him feel sporadic and bizarre.
First time involving Lauri in PnR today at 7:22 in the 2nd quarter. Nice cut to the basket after he didnt get the pop 3 pic.twitter.com/p8RX6VQAYl
— Will Gottlieb (@wontgottlieb) January 20, 2020
Markkanen seems to agree:
Asked if he'd like to get ball on move more, Markkanen said: "Yeah, I think I can do a lot of good things besides just shoot threes. Haven’t really been able to do that lately. Just have to figure out the way I can attack the rim more and get to the free throw line."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 21, 2020
So while he certainly has his own shortcomings to address, Markkanen is also being failed by his team. And in more ways than one: “I mean, there’s days that I think we look really good and we play really good basketball,” Markkanen told The Athletic. “And then sometimes we get stagnant. We just got to figure out what it is and just make it consistent. I think that’s the most important part.” Yikes.
The Bulls have only 37 games left this season, but they’re still figuring out Boylen’s system. Let that sink in … and then consider that Markkanen can’t and isn’t supposed to figure out how he fits into the Bulls game plan on his own. He offers talent. The coaching staff is supposed to offer structure.
Now, that’s not to let him entirely off the hook – Markkanen appears completely lost at the moment – but this coaching staff has clearly offered precious little in terms of direction, which is but one example of the major problems with bad coaching (obviously, losses in the short term are bad, but stunting a player’s growth can ruin a franchise for much longer).
The front office banked on Markkanen taking the next step forward this season. The front office also banked on Boylen as the guy to help get that done. Neither has happened, but I think one of those two has failed this franchise far more than the other. To bring this full circle: Hopefully, Markkanen doesn’t need a change of scenery to succeed down the road. But if there is an eventual breakup, he’ll likely be able to say “it’s you, not me.”
Michael Cerami contributed to this post.
