Wendell and Lauri: Frontcourt of the Future or Trade Bait?
Wendell Carter and Lauri Markkanen, both considered cornerstones of the Bulls rebuild, haven’t progressed the way many envisioned.
It’s fair to wonder if their futures in Chicago will continue.
The next head coach of the Chicago Bulls seems to be what’s on the minds of numerous Bulls fans and media talking heads. That’s understandable seeing as how Arturas Karnisovas took a slow and methodical approach to evaluate and ultimately firing the usually inept Jim Boylen.
Even though the head coaching search has garnered the most attention recently surrounding this team, one of the main questions that Karnisovas still must address is what will be the future makeup of this roster.
It’s widely assumed that Zach LaVine, with his legitimate All-Star talent, is a main focus for the team to continue investing in and building around. Coby White is a burgeoning young talent that has shown flashes of being a solid number 2.
Photo: ClutchPoints
Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter are the two main question marks in the Bulls hopes of eventually righting the ship.
It’s hard to believe that we’ve arrived at this point in our evaluations of Lauri and Wendell…two promising talents that many in the Bulls front office considered to be untouchable.
They were to form the perfect frontcourt duo that would prove to be lethal to opposing defenses on a nightly basis.
Wendell was to be the next Al Horford, a big who would form the backbone of the Bulls defense while also possessing play-making abilities that the team could run offensive sets through. And Lauri would be the next great modern stretch 4…a potential 20 and 10 type player.
Injuries, however, have derailed most of that talk with the two seeing limited amounts of time together on the court. And when the two have been paired together, the results have not been up to par.
Perhaps though that can be attributed to the way that both were used in the offensive and defensive schemes that Boylen was deploying regularly.
Lauri was regulated to a spot-up shooter and didn’t aggressively make plays for himself when given a chance to initiate his own scoring opportunities. And his defense really took a dip in Boylen’s blitzing scheme that left the big scrambling on the back end.
Wendell was rarely used to initiate the offense and was not seemingly given enough latitude to take jump shots. He often deferred to others despite his improved numbers at finishing around the rim. He too suffered in Boylen’s defense, often getting in foul trouble and playing himself out of getting into a good rhythm in both aspects of his game.
Both Markkanen and Carter expressed their displeasure with Boylen’s coaching, which likely was another key in his firing. So it would be wise for the Bulls to find a coach who can unlock both of their potentials to see if the two can regain the confidence that many had in them both being a vital part of this team’s future.
Markkanen is due for an extension this year, and will likely be disappointed by the offer that the Bulls will make. And Carter has expressed a desire to move to his previous position of power forward, even though he hasn’t shown yet a consistent shot from outside.
The time is ticking for the Bulls to find some middle ground as the pairing of the two seems very cloudy for the foreseeable future.
Featured Image: ClutchPoints
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