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Assessing the Bulls rebuild: Can Carter and Markkanen be the frontcourt of the future?

By Rucker Haringey

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 11: Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls drives against Mike Muscala #31 of the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on March 11, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 11: Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls drives against Mike Muscala #31 of the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on March 11, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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The Chicago Bulls are squarely in the middle of their rebuild, but is it possible the team have already found their frontcourt of the future?

In the midst of the Bulls’ ugly 27-55 campaign last year their fans had legitimate teams of landing a top pick via the NBA Draft Lottery. Unfortunately, Chicago only ended up with the No. 7 overall selection. It’s possible fans will one day look back on that as a blessing in disguise.

Of course, the Bulls elected to use that pick on Duke center Wendell Carter, Jr. His freshman season for the Blue Devils was obscured somewhat by playing next to Marvin Bagley on a nightly basis. While Bagley racked up the flashy stats with his ability to score with his left hand, Carter steadily worked on doing the dirty work for his team. That didn’t garner him a ton of headlines, but it did impress NBA executives who were watching him closely throughout the year.

Count the Bulls front office among those who were impressed. They spent their top pick on Carter, Jr. despite serious questions about how he would fit in the modern NBA. The talented rookie doesn’t have the length or explosive leaping ability to ever be a top-flight rim protector. Questions surrounded him during the pre draft process about whether or not he can move his feet well enough to be a competent switch defender.

Carter’s Summer League exploits have given everyone associated with the Bulls a healthy dose of optimism about his ability to move laterally. It’s unknown if he’ll ever become an All-NBA defender, but his ceiling now certainly seems to be above-average defender. That is great news for Chicago. It gives Carter, Jr. a real chance to become a starter at the five for the team for years to come.

Filling that role is particularly important given the fact that the Bulls found their power forward of the future in last year’s draft. Ironically, he was also the No. 7 selection as well. His rookie season with the Bulls exceeded even the most optimistic projections for the Finnish big man.

The 20-year-old stretch power forward gave the Bulls 15 points per game last season in nearly 30 minutes of action per contest. His ability to shoot the ball from behind the arc was a big key to his efficiency. Markkanen shot just over 36 percent from 3 last year, but he did so on nearly six attempts per game. It’s difficult for young stretch bigs to learn how to get that many shots off per game, much less make them at a reasonable percentage. The fact that Markkanen did both without a tun of support on offense bodes extremely well for his offensive future.

The questions about Markkanen are predominantly on the defensive end. Despite being a legitimate 7-footer, he doesn’t provide his team much rim protection. He moves his feet better than you might think at first sight, but he isn’t going to lock down guards off the dribble either. It’s imperative for the Bulls to partner him with a defensive player who can help cover up some of those deficiencies.

That’s what makes Carter’s ability to move his feet and switch so important for Chicago’s future. If he can’t switch onto smaller players to relieve Markkanen of that responsibility, it’s going to be almost impossible to play the two together for long stretches of time. If he can, it opens up a real possibility that the two can become Chicago’s starting frontcourt for the next decade.

Offensively, the two fit together like a glove. Markkanen isn’t interested in going down in the block and mixing things up with his post game. He wants to stretch the floor on the perimeter. The talented scorer will need to work to both diversify his jump shot on the perimeter and attack closeouts, but he’s not going to ever be a back-to-the basket threat.

That will give Carter, Jr. an exceptional amount of space to do his damage on the block. Unlike Markkanen, his offensive bread and butter will continue to be around the basket. Yes, he can step out and make 3s on occasion, but has craftiness in the paint is what makes him special.

In truth, Chicago’s offense may need him to commit himself to play around the rim. He doesn’t need to post-up every possession. He can achieve the same sort of gravity by becoming a solid rim-runner in pick-and-roll situations. Keeping Carter near the basket will also give him the chance to use his offensive rebounding skills to give the Bulls extra possessions.

Ultimately, the Bulls can move forward with the comfort that they have a quality frontcourt to build around for years to come. That shouldn’t prevent them from making a big move to upgrade one spot or the other if a transcendent star becomes available, but it will allow them to allocate their resources to other positions if that doesn’t happen.

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That’s a significant luxury that Chicago enjoys over other teams mired in aimless rebuilds. The Bulls may be a little further along in their process than most people give them credit for.

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