Lauri Markkanen was bright spot in Cavs L to Bulls, is playing well of late

Markkanen’s inconsistencies have been frustrating, but he’s played far better of late

Now, I’m well aware of the cold spells from him, and it’s disheartening at times; the overall three-point shooting clip for the season is not what he’s capable of, either, and Markkanen, even with a role change mid-season, did hit a career-best 40.2 percent from there last year for Chicago.

That said, Markkanen has again played well lately for Cleveland, and perhaps at this point in the season, as we’re past the halfway point, the 24-year-old can establish more consistency from here.

It’s apparent that Markkanen is one of Cleveland’s most skilled and most versatile offensive players, and while it wasn’t so on Wednesday as much, it’s clear that Lauri’s play can ignite the whole team.

And for what it’s worth, he’s far more than a spot-up guy, as we’ve seen, as he’s more than capable of knocking down looks off movement, and creating some for himself in transition and set offense with his touch and feel for reading gaps. I also don’t discount Markkanen’s team defense, even with some on-ball deficiencies.

Anyway, hopefully this performance against his former team, and his recent play in these past eight games, can be something Markkanen builds more as a launch pad for the rest of the way.

Some potential trade suggestions involving him to me seem very ill-advised, too.