The stat line reminded everyone what Lauri Markkanen could be once again.
Actually, what he always should have been.
And that’s the frustration.
Markkanen came off the bench in the Bulls’ victory Thursday against the Raptors to notch 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 25 minutes on his way to finishing a team-high plus-15. He performed so well that it cut into starter Patrick Williams’ playing time, limiting him to 18 minutes.
But, like too many of Markkanen’s good moments, it came with an asterisk: The Raptors basically were fielding a G-League team, choosing to fold up the tents last week and lock in their spot in the draft lottery.