Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The March 29 loss to the Golden State Warriors marks only the second time in his career that power forward Lauri Markkanen started a game on the bench. By the end of it all, the Finnisher played 22 minutes and tallied 13 points on 5-9 shooting, six rebounds, and an assist. It wasn’t the best game for the Chicago Bulls as a whole, and the future fit for Markkanen with this team is now being called into question.
But with this sudden benching coupled with new big men additions in Daniel Theis and Nikola Vucevic, where exactly does Markkanen fit within this new group, and what does this mean for his impeding free agency?