Anthony Davis loves Chicago….
Lauri Markkanen has tough debut as Bulls lose preseason rematch to New Orleans amidst AD’s huge performance
Lauri! Lauri!…..Lauri?
Bulls fans were excited Sunday night for the debut of №7 overall pick Lauri Markkanen after his impressive performance in EuroBasket 2017. However, his first NBA action was a great indication of why expectations should be tempered as he figures out his way on a Bulls team lacking any true first scoring options. The Bulls lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 108–95 Sunday night at the United Center, mostly due to a massive game from All-star and native Chicagoan Anthony Davis.
Markkanen only played 15 minutes, but it was enough time for him to go 1-for-9 from the field as he pursued his shot. I texted a friend of mine that Markkanen played bad, but looked good. It may sound confusing, but basically I felt that he hunted shots within the general flow of the offense. The concerning part was that six of his nine shot attempts were 3-pointers. Transforming into an elite NBA “stretch four” means taking and making a robust amount of 3-pointers, but his performance brought me back to my original concerns of Lauri becoming Nikola Mirotic 2.0. Nothing would stunt the rebuild more than Markkanen developing into a role player, and here’s to hoping that the 15 minutes he played were Fred Hoiberg just being cautious.
Outside of Markkanen, the rest of the Bulls were just as flat on the evening. My new favorite term “Hoiball” was again on full display. Chicago put up 21 3-pointers in the first half alone. The Bulls finished the game with 41 attempts from 3-point range and shot terribly at 26.8 percent. Taking 3-pointers is awesome, and there is literal proof that taking more 3s helps your offense to some degree. But the Bulls are frustrating because they have always lacked the shooting to run Hoiberg’s preferred style, even moreso now during the rebuild.
The New Orleans Pelicans have now twice this preseason exposed how weak the Bulls big man rotation is. Star frontcourt duo Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins each played 30-plus minutes as they prepare for the start of the regular season. Cousins had a near triple-double with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. But Davis was the true star with 37 points and 15 rebounds, with an absurd 22-of-23 from the free throw line (yes you read that correctly).
Chicago couldn’t contain either big, and even Markkanen got a few “welcome to the NBA rook”-moments when trying to guard Cousins down low. Davis on the other hand did his work on face-up drives where his length allowed him tos easily finish over the likes of Cristiano Felicio and others. Bulls fans should expect more big performances from opposing frontcourts often with Robin Lopez being the only experienced center on the roster.
Hoiberg’s offense had beautiful moments where the Bulls actually got decent looks out of side-to-side weave action. He also did a great job using Mirotic as the floor-spacer in the vicinity of pick-and-rolls. But he and the rest of the roster were too comfortable chucking up random shots from deep, and that is where the danger lies ahead.
The Bulls 41 (!!!) 3-point attempts were easily a preseason-high for the squad. The key for this year’s team will be understanding shot selection better. The Bulls general ball-movement and flow is occasionally good, but too often possessions were just Lopez fetching offensive rebounds for multiple errant 3s. If every Bulls game turns into a shooting practice they will shoot themselves out of games faster during the regular season. I don’t know what the identity of this team if after four preseason games, and I’m not sure if the Bulls do either.
