Cavs: 3 hidden stats that hint at what Lauri Markkanen will bring

Lauri Markkanen is now a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, after playing the first four seasons of his career with the Chicago Bulls. He was once the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of Arizona, the youngest piece in the Jimmy Butler trade. Now the Bulls have executed a sign-and-trade to send Markkanen to the Cavs.

The Cavs have the 7-foot Markkanen under contract for the next four seasons as part of their young frontcourt rotation, and he will rotate with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley at the big positions to hopefully bring out the best in all three players.

The Cavs have added sharpshooting forward Lauri Markkanen. What can we learn from his previous play to inform his future?

Markkanen was billed as a future star, the next Dirk Nowitzki, given his combination of height and jump shooting ability. The shot has mostly been as advertised, but he has struggled to add much else to his game.

How should the Cavs deploy him this season? And what are reasonable expectations for how he will play? Looking at his career thus far, and peering past the obvious stats, we can learn some things that should inform how Markkanen should be used moving forward.