At this point last season, the only focus in Bulls camp was a punch to the face of former big man Nikola Mirotic.
This season in camp, the entire organization received a punch to the gut when news broke of Lauri Markkanen’s right elbow injury sidelining him until at least the end of November.
Publicly, coach Fred Hoiberg has done his best to downplay the significance of the injury, even insisting last week “there was no hangover’’ with the setback in the wake of back-to-back dismal preseason losses.
Forget that Hoiberg started designing offensive sets around the second-year player late last season, or that Markkanen came in with 17 pounds of added muscle to try to make the jump into stardom.
Make no mistake, Markkanen’s injury was an organizational setback that could have ramifications in not only the standings but the direction the Bulls are headed, from coaching positions to player personnel.
But Hoiberg should get credit for the quick adjustment he made with his lineup and his players’ mentality.
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“Last year, it was just new to everybody,” point guard Kris Dunn said. “To the players, the coaches, we can’t wait for Lauri to come back. We have to go forward with a full effort.”
With the regular season tipping off Wednesday in Philadelphia, here are three takeaways from the last three weeks that merit watching, Markkanen or no Markkanen.
1. The Jabari Parker situation: Hoiberg was masterful in his handling of the $20 million-a-year veteran, realizing he needed to bump Parker to the second unit for the starters to at least look like they’ll function at a higher level.
Even Parker sounded like he finally was buying in Sunday. Sort of.
“Just for me accepting what anybody throws at me,” Parker said of his new bench role to start the season. “That’s more my challenge. Just try and improve and get better at what I need to do. Whatever happens, happens. Just improve for me. I’ll get there one day.”
Moving Parker out of the first unit and Bobby Portis in should make the Bulls more athletic and, more important, give them better communication on defense.
It also allows Parker to play facilitator on the second unit, almost acting as a point-forward for a group that needs a capable offensive-minded presence.
2. The kid can play: The drafting of rookie Wendell Carter Jr. was questioned because it seemed too safe, but there has been nothing safe about the way the 19-year-old from Duke has played.
Carter’s athleticism is better than advertised, and his defensive ability was masked with the Blue Devils’ switch to a 2-3 zone early last season.
He earned the starting nod over veteran Robin Lopez in camp and could help ease a lot of the pain being felt in the Bulls’ new switching defense because of his ability to block shots and cover up mistakes.
3. Filling the void: Zach LaVine is one of those NBA talents who looks like he can fall out of bed and score 20-plus points in a game.
Fresh off a contract extension, he has done that throughout the preseason. Even more impressive is the way he’s putting in the work on defense. If the shooting guard can round out his game, the Bulls might have something special.
