Lauri Markkanen has Red Mamba fever

Chicago Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen asked Brian Scalabrine for permission to wear the number 24 on his jersey.

Lauri Markkanen was highly touted by NBA scouts during his time with the Arizona Wildcats, and it eventually led to him being selected No. 7 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, landing in a Chicago after a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Markkanen wanted to play rocking the number 24 on his jersey, but a former Bulls player wore that number.

Now the number of course was not retired by the Bulls, but some fans will argue it should’ve been. That number was formerly worn by Brian Scalabrine, who is surprisingly one of the most popular basketball players of all time, despite not producing much on the court. Markkanen asked for permission to wear the number, and his wish was granted by the Red Mamba.

The Red Mamba of course can be proud in the fact that Markkanen has gotten his NBA career off to a great start. He has averaged 16.3 points, and 9.3 rebounds per game through the team’s first three games. He’s a 7-foot big but has also knocked down 10 3-pointers in Chicago’s first three games. Scalabrine was also a stretch big with a solid 3-point shot in his offensive arsenal.

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It will be hard for the rookie to keep up this torrid pace from beyond the arc, but we can still admire his high level of play thus far. It’s hard to believe that the Bulls were initially planning on having him ride the pine early on in the season, and it took a bizarre turn of events between two of his teammates for him to earn a large role on the team.