The Chicago Bulls are in the midst of a rebuild and one of their brightest young stars is set to miss some major time as the 2018-19 season begins. Big man Lauri Markkanen is going to miss approximately six-to-eight weeks after suffering a high-grade lateral elbow sprain.
Following comes from the Bulls.
INJURY UPDATE: Lauri Markkanen sustained a right elbow injury in practice yesterday. He underwent an MRI today that showed a high grade lateral elbow sprain. Markkanen is estimated to be out six-to-eight weeks. pic.twitter.com/lwSdKvKIiS
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 29, 2018
The Bulls will presumably move to a frontcourt of Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis and Robin Lopez to start the year with Parker moving into a small ball four at times similarly to what he played with the Milwaukee Bucks last season. Parker, who the Bulls signed over the offseason to a two-year, $40 million contract, could also start alongside Lopez if the Bulls elect to go with a smaller lineup.
You can almost still expect Markkanen to make some major strides when he returns. He won’t miss too much of the season and the Bulls don’t have a ton of proven talent on the court so Markkanen can blossom into a player that takes a step towards potential All-Star status.
