The last time the Bulls had a winning month was two years ago, when they went 9-6 in December 2017.
The closest they have come since was when they went 5-5 in February of last season.
And now there’s this month, in which the Bulls are 7-6 with one game left Monday against the NBA-leading Bucks.
This is as good as it has been for the franchise since Jim Boylen took over for Fred Hoiberg as coach last December.
What February of last season and this month have in common is big man Lauri Markkanen playing good basketball. It seems that as goes Markkanen, so go the Bulls.
‘‘Obviously, we have stuff that we can improve, but it does feel good to close a couple of games out, actually get the win,’’ Markkanen said of the Bulls’ play this month. ‘‘We’re not satisfied. I think we were supposed to [beat the Hawks on Saturday], and we did a good job. Now try and get one on Monday.’’
It won’t be an easy one to get against the powerhouse Bucks, but the fact that Markkanen finally has shown up this season at least gives the Bulls a shot.
When the Bulls showed some life in February of last season, Markkanen averaged 26 points on 48.6 percent shooting and 12.2 rebounds.
This month hasn’t been nearly that good, but Markkanen has been much better than he was in the first 20 games of the season, in which he averaged 13.3 points on 35 percent shooting, including 28 percent from three-point range.
Something finally clicked.
‘‘Just playing the same guys in the system,’’ Markkanen, who has been battling the flu, said of that change. ‘‘Obviously, we work on it every day, so it has to become comfortable at some point.’’
The numbers show just how comfortable he has become in the Bulls’ offense. He has averaged 17.6 points on 50.9 percent shooting, including 40.2 percent from three-point range, in his last 13 games.
The rebound numbers are still fairly disappointing compared with last season, but Markkanen has enough self-awareness to know it has to get better.
‘‘Obviously, I can do a better job rebounding and pushing the ball, but, yeah, I’m more comfortable,’’ Markkanen said. ‘‘I kind of know where I’m going to get my touches and shots.
‘‘I think everybody is figuring out their role and doing a good job of it. Knowing when to attack and, in our system, knowing where the open guy is going to be. That obviously helps when you play the same guys.’’
Boylen settling on a consistent starting five and rotation has helped, but Markkanen has to take a share of the blame for his play early on.
The success of the Bulls’ rebuild rests on the continued development of guard Zach LaVine and Markkanen. LaVine showed up ready this season; Markkanen let the moment shrink him.
He was settling for too many three-pointers early in the season, forgetting everything that made him successful. Lately, however, he has been attacking the rim first and relying on the three-pointer second.
‘‘I like the cuts to the basket he gets; I like when he runs ahead of the ball in transition,’’ Boylen said. ‘‘The threes are great, but I like those plays, the effort, energy plays that help us win.
‘‘He’s starting to learn how we play, where he can get his shots, get his spots. . . . He was very frustrated early, and he stayed with it. It’s coming around.’’
