Has anyone seen Lauri Markkanen? The Bulls continue the season-long search

Bulls coach Jim Boylen hasn’t felt the need to defend Lauri Markkanen lately.

Then again, neither have opposing NBA teams.

Therein lies the ongoing problem for the Bulls.

The third-year forward is in more than just a rut to start the season. He’s basically a no-show. He had a 35-point statement in the opener against the host Hornets, but since then it’s as if he has been relegated to the witness-protection program.

Fine, it’s only 12 games. Plenty of season left. That would be true if Markkanen were just another 22-year-old finding his way in the league.

But he’s not.

The Bulls made that very clear this offseason, when the front office and coaching staff admitted that Year 3 of the rebuild centered around making decisions to elevate the games of Zach LaVine and Markkanen.

Those were the pillars that would hold up the rebuild.

One has a very unstable crack in it.

“[Markkanen] just doesn’t seem in rhythm right now, man,’’ LaVine said Friday. “It’s a new offense. And I think it has a part to do with it. We just gotta help him find it. We’ve all gone through some struggles. I feel like everybody has been off rhythm in the beginning part of the year. I think everybody is shooting a lower field-goal percentage than their [career] average. I feel like everybody is trying their best to help the one person that is struggling.

“I talked to him. His spirits are still high. I know he’s worried about it, but he’s not pressing yet. And I think that’s good to see. He hasn’t done anything out of character. He hasn’t lashed out or blamed anybody. He just wants to win. And that’s the type of player he is. We just have to do a better job of helping him get to his rhythm and find him. It sucks because you don’t want to see your guy out there struggling, especially since you know how good he is and what he can do. He had that great first game. We haven’t been able to get back to it. We gotta find him some easy baskets to help him get in a rhythm. Without him, it’s going to be tough to play.’’

Like 4-8 tough.

That’s the Bulls’ record. And while there are numerous reasons for the uninspiring start, Markkanen’s play is certainly one of them.

Sure, his overall numbers aren’t that far off from past seasons. Markkanen is averaging 14.4 points entering the game against the Nets on Saturday. He averaged 18.7 last season and 15.2 as a rookie. He’s also grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game, the same average from his rookie season.

The numbers that jump off the stat page? Markkanen is only shooting 37.6 percent from the field, down from 43 percent last season. And his three-point shooting has an even bigger dip, dropping from 36.1 percent last season to 27.8.

Markkanen keeps giving the same excuses, the most frequent of which is finding his way in a new offensive system.

Maybe there is something to that, but Boylen feels there’s other things going on, as well.

“I think in general, the league is more prepared for him,’’ Boylen said. “I think in general, he’s A1 or A2 on the scouting report and they’re bringing physicality at him every night. I also think we’ve demanded that he play better defense and more consistent defense. So being a two-way player at this level is very difficult. If you look at some of the matchups he’s had, there are some tough matchups in our division, from [Kevin] Love to Giannis [Antetokounmpo] to Blake Griffin, and these are all learning things for him.

“Yeah, we want him to be the Lauri Markkanen he was [last] February. We believe he can do that. Is he frustrated with that and does he want it? I show him the things he needs to do better. He understands what he needs to do, he’s not a dummy. And he cares about the team. When he will break through, how he will break through — I can’t tell you that. All I can tell you is he’s trying to control the things he can control.’’

Until then, the Bulls will continue searching for Markkanen to re-emerge.

A 7-foot Finn shouldn’t be that hard to find.