Lauri Markkanen has had his ups and downs this season in his first one with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The situation has been an adjustment in playing often with two other bigs around him in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, though, and that’s evident, compared to regularly in his first four seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
On the season, Markkanen’s had 13.7 points per game, and connected on a career-low 33.5 percent from three-point land.
But as we expressed, Markkanen has had an adjustment this season, and one had to know that there would be inconsistencies for him this season. He was realistically inconsistent, to some degree, in his Bulls career too, and injuries had some to do with that.
And in a stretch from Dec. 13-Jan. 4, Markkanen had really been in a slump, in that realm, as in that span of 10 games, he connected on just 18.8 percent from three, and had only 11.7 points per outing. It was frustrating to see him at times miss wide open looks off-the-catch, and even some looks he’s more than capable of hitting on pull-ups.
Fortunately, as he has demonstrated still in a few stretches this season, and particularly after a health and safety protocols absence, he has seemed to get himself going again.
In Markkanen’s last seven contests prior to Wednesday, he was at least been more efficient in averaging 13.3 points, and had some success on cuts, in transition and inside from early seals or from cross-matching. Plus, in that stretch, he connected on 42.1 percent from three.
Markkanen getting himself more in-rhythm was a bit lost it seemed in Cleveland’s five-game winning streak leading into a loss at the Bulls, as opposed to Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen’s play.
Conversely, in a disappointing game for the team overall, thanks to rough turnovers, defensive lapses and DeMar DeRozan dominating on Wednesday, Markkanen was a clear bright spot versus his old squad, and he’s been playing well lately. It’s been good to see him work out of a really rough slump from last month leading into early January.
Markkanen was the bright spot for the Cavs in that L to the Bulls, and hopefully, he can establish more consistency the rest of the way.
One has to give Chicago their credit, as DeRozan had 30 points for them, and even without Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball, the Bulls handled the Cavs in some crucial stretches.
Cleveland did come back and at one point in the fourth quarter cut it to two, but Chicago regained control from making plays defensively, and ball movement from DeRozan, Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso and others led to the Cavs conceding far too many wide open looks.
For the game, Chicago shot 54.7 percent and 45.5 percent from three, and regardless of the Cavaliers having their eighth game in 13 nights, the Bulls, who have had their share of injuries recently, took it to Cleveland, and snapped their four-game skid. I do have to give Markkanen his props for his performance against his former team, though.