There were legitimate reasons to doubt Lauri Markkanen when the Bulls selected him with the No. 7 pick in June’s draft in the immediate aftermath of the Jimmy Butler trade.
From the Bulls’ perspective, it had been a long time since they hit on a draft pick. Marquis Teague, Tony Snell and Doug McDermott were abject busts in Chicago; Denzel Valentine and Bobby Portis had yet to inspire much confidence, either. You had to go back to 2011 for the Bulls’ last true draft hit, when they selected Butler and Nikola Mirotic in the first round.