When the Chicago Bulls traded Jimmy Butler last summer, they chose to take the franchise in a different direction. Instead of being mired in mediocrity, they would be bad (with the goal being of accumulating young, talented prospects to build around). Well, approximately one year later and they have done exactly what they needed to do in order to move forward.
Lauri Markkanen developed faster and better than literally anyone could have expected. The rookie big man from Arizona averaged a nice 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, earning his way to being one of the five players named to the 2017-18 NBA All-Rookie first team.