NEWSLETTER
Lauri Markkanen is suffering career lows across the board this season, including just 15 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. In addition, he’s shooting only 42.4 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from downtown, while his field goal attempts per game are down to 12.0 (from 15.3 last season). Obviously, a portion of this falls on Markkanen’s own shoulders/performance (as well as his various injuries), but like a lot of the Bulls problems, it starts with Jim Boylen.
And although any number of his deficiencies could be the focus of our attention today, I want to zero in on what arguably best represents his fall from grace – rebounding.
As noted, Markkanen is averaging only 6.5 rebounds per game this season, which currently ranks 57th in the NBA. For a seven-foot starting power forward, I think it’s safe to say that’s pretty disappointing. Even more so, compared to his past:
So what’s the deal? Like I said: Boylen.
As far as I can tell, Markkanen’s stark decline is likely correlated with his newly established role in Boylen’s offensive and defensive scheme – more often than not, the big man has found himself shooting and guarding along the perimeter. Boylen’s blitzing defensive scheme and five-out offense will inherently keep these players far from the rim, hence this team ranking 28th in rebounds per game (42.5).
But perhaps the most frustrating part about this is that we know Markkanen can rebound. Or at least should be able to. In fact, some advanced stats show some promise.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently gave Markkanen‘s relative rebounding skills a shoutout in his “11 things I like right now” column.
“Tracking data from Second Spectrum has Markkanen snaring more opponent misses than expected based on his positioning when a shot goes up — perhaps confirming the eye test that he is a skilled and aggressive board tracker,” Lowe writes.
Despite Markkanen now normally hanging out far from the basket, he’s still able to swoop in for the occasional crucial rebound. If Lowe is right and Markkanen is a “skilled and aggressive board tracker” wouldn’t it be best to put him in a system where that part of his game is used to more of an advantage?
Thinking about where this team ranks in rebounding while a potentially useful Markkanen plays along the perimeter with a career-low 6.5 rebounds per game is yet ANOTHER example of this coaching staff’s inability to get the most out of their talent.
Like Lowe, I still think Markkanen has a lot left in the tank. He’s only 22-years-old and has shown signs of versatile scoring and efficient rebounding abilities. However, if the Bulls aren’t going to put him in a position to succeed, he’s going to have to figure it out on his own. Rebounding should be a key part of Markkanen’s game, and we have to hope this down season doesn’t change that.
