Lauri Markkanen’s battle against Kristaps Porzingis shows how bright his future is

Lauri Markkanen went off for 33 points and 10 rebounds in the Bulls’ double-overtime win over the Knicks on Wednesday. It marks the rookie’s second 30-point game since Dec. 29.

Markkanen shot a piping hot 8 of 15 from three, outplaying Kristaps Porzingis on the unicorn’s home floor. He even had a nasty poster dunk over Enes Kanter.

Markkanen’s eight three-pointers against the Knicks tied Dirk Nowitzki for the most treys made by a seven-footer in NBA history. But his three-point barrage wasn’t a one-time thing; it’s been a theme for him all season long.

Markkanen is averaging 2.4 made threes per game. That beats out Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Kuzma, Jayson Tatum, and the rest of his draft class for the most made threes per game by a rookie this season. He also has the third-best three-point percentage (36.4) of all first-year players averaging at least four triples attempted on the year.

In his rookie season, Markkanen is averaging 15.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He is averaging better offensive numbers than Porzingis during his own rookie season. That’s also the fourth-highest scoring average by a rookie this season behind Mitchell, Kuzma, and Ben Simmons.

While Markkanen won’t command much Rookie of the Year traction behind the breakout seasons of those three players, he is a glimmer of hope for a struggling Bulls team that needed just a little bit of good fortune after unceremoniously moving on from its last All-Star.

The Bulls landed Markkanen over the summer as an add-on to Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn in the Jimmy Butler trade. Now midway through his first season, he seems to be the real deal.

And once you secure high praise from Nowitzki like Markkanen did on Jan. 5, you know the Bulls have a good one on their hands.

“I mean, [he’s] really, really good. I didn’t know he was really that athletic,” Nowitzki said via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon “I mean, he shoots it easy, can move his feet, can play above the rim. He’s going to be great for a long, long time. I heard he’s a great kid, he’s a hard worker. It’s amazing all this talent that keeps flooding in from Europe now with Porzingis ... and then this kid who’s got the same upside. He’s not quite as long as Porzingis, but that offensive game is already very polished, he shoots it with range, seems confident out there. He’s gonna be great for a long time.”