The Chicago Bulls took a massive risk on the night of the 2017 NBA Draft. The team traded Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves for three pieces: Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the No. 7 overall pick. Seeing as how LaVine is coming off of a season-ending knee injury and there are question marks around Dunn’s ability to shoot, a lot was riding on that draft selection.
Chicago used that pick on Lauri Markkanen in a move that came under a lot of criticism. While Markkanen is a good prospect, he went ahead of some perceived better players and may not have an especially high ceiling.
Basically, Markkanen needed to do a lot to prove to Bulls fans that he was worthy of going that high. Unfortunately for him, this happened on Saturday.
Markkanen steps out of bounds on game-tying attempt, injures himself on the play. He's being helped off the court after the game. pic.twitter.com/uQWBegS5Zk
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) September 2, 2017
Markkanen is competing for Finland at EuroBasket 2017 and got hurt during their group stage game against Slovenia. He suffered this injury at the tail end of a 24-point, seven rebound game, and needed help as he left the floor.
https://twitter.com/ChiSportUpdates/status/904055442170667008
This only happened because Markkanen turned the ball over the play before. He was being checked by Slovenia’s Anthony Randolph — yes, that Anthony Randolph — and lost possession. Randolph stripped him, then went the other way and threw down.
There’s no word on exactly what happened to Markkanen, but this does not look good for the Bulls. They obviously have high hopes for Markkanen, so it would be a massive blow if he’s unable to go because he suffered an injury during an offseason international tournament. It already looked like it was going to be a long season in Chicago, and if Markkanen can’t go this year, we may see a few more “Fire Gar-Pax” billboards around the Windy City.
