Sports Illustrated came out with the top 100 players for the 2018-2019 NBA season. The Chicago Bulls very own Lauri Markkanen was on the list coming in at number 84. Lauri had an impressive season his rookie year, emerging as a true threat at the power forward position.
Markkanen made the All-NBA Rookie first team along with Kyle Kuzma, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, and Ben Simmons. Lauri is the lowest ranked out of last years All-Rookie team, however, that really comes as no surprise.
Jayson Tatum led a strong playoff push for the Celtics last year, Donovan Mitchell took the league by storm in Utah, Ben Simmons is being billed as the next LeBron James, and Kyle Kuzma plays in L.A. Kuzma was also drafted late in the first round and came as a surprise to many.
Now, 84th on the list seems very low to an All-Rookie First team player with the skill set Lauri possesses. Lauri last year showed athleticism and deep range shooting.
Lauri emerged as a true threat and a legit number 1 or 2 scoring option last year, which may leave many Bulls fans upset he isn’t higher on this list. Though, at least us Bulls fans know the national media isn’t sleeping on the Bulls and notice their rising stars.
Look for Lauri to move up that list in the coming years. The Bulls have a strong young core that will compliment and take Lauri’s game to the next level.
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