With Otto Porter Jr. out, it’s time for the Bulls’ duo to emerge

Zach LaVine says he and Lauri Markkanen have dominant moments in practice, but it needs to start happening in games, and sooner than later.

SHARE With Otto Porter Jr. out, it’s time for the Bulls’ duo to emerge
The Bulls can’t wait much longer for Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen to “figure it out.’’

The Bulls can’t wait much longer for Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen to “figure it out.’’

Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP

The pressure on Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen to “figure it out’’ won’t be going away anytime soon.

Not when the Bulls announced on Friday that the left foot contusion suffered by veteran wing Otto Porter Jr. was worse than initially thought.

Porter suffered the setback during the first half of the win in Atlanta, left the game, but afterward was walking on it fine.

The next morning wasn’t as kind to him.

“Because of the soft tissue, these are things that maybe it settles down in 24-48 hours,’’ coach Jim Boylen said. “Maybe it doesn’t. That’s where the uncertainty comes in where it’s difficult to put a timeframe on it. So, yes, it did not settle down like maybe we had hoped other injuries have.

“We’re not taking any chances with him, or anybody. We’ll manage him accordingly and support him in the appropriate way.’’

That means at least missing the Saturday night game with Houston, and then a wait-and-see in the days after.

What can no longer be a wait-and-see? LaVine and Markkanen emerging as a dominant duo. Not on paper and not in practice like they have shown glimpses of. No, actually doing it in a real NBA game, and then doing it over and over again after that.

“If I had the answer I’d be able to tell you,’’ LaVine said on Friday, when asked why he and Markkanen haven’t been working like they should. “I wish it was running as smoothly as it seems [it should] or even in practice how it looks sometimes. But it just doesn’t come along sometimes that fast I guess. It’s tough, but we’re still working on it every day.

“We know we can be a dynamic duo, with our shooting, our athletic ability to get to the hoop. We just have to put it into the game. We’ve seen it at points in the game sometimes, last year, this year, you know, but we’ve just got to do it consistently. I’d like it to be better, but I wish I had an answer for you. I wish it was crisp too.’’

Markkanen has done little to clear up the confusion as well.

The third-year7-footer said that he and LaVine have frequently discussed it, and have a strong enough relationship to sit down after games and break it down.

“We talk all the time, so we understand what’s going on,’’ Markkanen said. “It’s not like we need an extra talk.’’

They need an “extra’’ something.

Markkanen has one game in which he scored more than 20 points this season, and that was a 35-point, 17-rebound loss in the opener down in Charlotte. LaVine had just 16 in that game, and did so on 7-for-17 from the field with some shaky defense.

LaVine’s best scoring game came in Memphis, when he put up 37. Markkanen had nine in that win, shooting just 4-for-15.

That’s kind of summed up the season so far through the first nine games. When one has a solid showing, the other is often missing in action. Considering their skillsets and how they seemingly should mesh so well, it shouldn’t be that difficult. Pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop, they should do it all. Pick-and-pray wasn’t supposed to be their reality.

“Drive, kick – it seems like a match made in heaven,’’ LaVine said. “We just got to be able to be consistent together and both be dominant on the court at the same time.’’

Considering the organization built the roster for LaVine and Markkanen to do just that – dominate – the hope is the problem will fix itself.

“We’ve had plays at the rim,’’ Boylen said, when asked how he’s tried getting the two going this season. “We’ve had open looks. We’ve played seven of eight strong quarters. We came off in my opinion one of our better wins in a long time [in Atlanta] after a difficult home loss to play well but not well enough to win. We’re going to keep working at what we believe in, sharing it, caring for each other and playing hard.

“It’s always on the head coaches’ mind how to get guys involved. But there’s a responsibility from the player too. That’s just our game.’’

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