I bet almost everyone, even Bulls fans, said “who?” when reading the title of this. Lauri Markkanen. That Finnish, tall, white rookie the Bulls traded JIMMY BUTLER in order to pick him. He’s basically the Bulls whole team right now and they’d probably lose by 40 rather than 20 every night without him. Lauri has been great, but quietly. Does he have what it takes to win Rookie of the Year?

Yes. That’s a rhetorical question. You might think I’m stupid, but I’m a stats guy. And the stat sheet don’t lie. Markkanen is 3rd in scoring, 2nd in rebounds, and 1st in 3 pointers made upon rookies. Stat sheet don’t lie. Actually, his 36 threes are the most by any player after 14 career games. The only thing that could really hurt his chances are his amount of assists, but hopefully when the NBA decides this they realize he plays on the Bulls.

Bang.

I know it’s early, but this guy needs more attention. Ben Simmons is obviously the top dog right now, but Lauri is definitely playing better than guys like Lonzo Ball and Jayson Tatum. @NBA, recognize this man.