Chicago Bulls: Rookie Lauri Markkanen showing strong overall game in NBA Summer League action

If Chicago Bulls rookie big man Lauri Markkanen is going to have a strong NBA career, he is going to have to be more than just a shooter. The early signs at NBA Summer League are encouraging.

As part of the Jimmy Butler trade, the Chicago Bulls acquired 2017 seventh-overall selection Lauri Markkanen this offseason. Markkanen is a seven-footer from Finland who played one season of college basketball at Arizona.

He averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season while shooting 42% from three-point range. As a 20-year-old seven-footer who has a sweet shooting stroke that should translate well to the NBA. Make no mistake about it, Markkanen has a lot of natural upside going forward. However, there are many questions about his overall game.

Despite his great size, Markkanen does not have great length or natural athleticism. He has not shown any rim protection ability on the defensive end and his toughness on the inside is a question. He put up good rebounding numbers in college, but it remains to be seen if he can do the same in the physical NBA game.

Markkanen is undoubtedly an interesting prospect but he must improve his overall game to be a true impact player in the NBA. Well, take it for it’s worth, but Markkanen has been impressive to me through three Summer League games.

Summer League Observations

His numbers aren’t great (14 points and 9 rebounds per game, while shooting an ugly 29.3% from the floor). However, he has flashed some serious upside in his overall game.

As you can see in the clip below, he shows more of a willingness and ability to attack the rim than I expected.

If Markkanen can add a strong ability to cut to the basket to his ability to shoot, he could quickly become a major offensive weapon. Plus, his ability to finish with power on the dunk is impressive.

Defensively, Markkanen still needs a lot of work in the post. I mean, this is just ugly:

However, I have really liked his scrappiness and work ethic on that end of the court. Markkanen is quicker than I expected and can legitimately defend smaller players on the perimeter. I am not saying he is going to be able to take Russell Westbrook one-on-one. But Markkanen can hold his own against speed.

In today’s NBA where switching and defensive versatility is huge, Markkanen can become a valuable player on that end of the court. He is a hard-working defender who is better than I expected on defensively.

If he is going to be a real defensive presence, he has to work on his toughness. Constantly getting abused in the post is not an option. However, his defensive upside in the modern game is interesting.

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The skills are there for Markkanen to be a legitimate big-time player for the Chicago Bulls. As a seven-footer who can shoot, his upside is already obvious. That being said, if he can continue to improve his overall game, the Bulls may have found themselves an impact player who will significantly help this rebuild.