Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine back on the scene
Amidst a tumultuous season, complete with defeat and pleasant surprise, the Chicago Bulls have a lot to be excited for upon the impending return of high-flying combo guard Zach LaVine.
The season began with a deflated gasp, as the Chicago Bulls saw the tried trio of Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade break up nearly overnight. The memes were generating faster than John Wall’s first step, but after a lot of ups and downs, things are starting to shape up in the Windy City.
Whenever you have candidates for both Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player (both under the age of 23) on the same roster, it shouldn’t be a surprise that there is a bright future…and possibly present.
With all of the negative press the Bulls got to start the season, you might have thought otherwise, but just like the Minnesota Timberwolves proved, and later on the Philadelphia 76ers, the lottery-bound teams can be just as exciting as the contenders.
But here is the curveball: They have yet another member of the under-23 club who has been waiting in the wings to pounce— the acrobatic scoring machine that is Zach LaVine. Yeah, the third musketeer from the most exciting young trio in the NBA last season.
Now on the precipice of return, LaVine will combine with Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn to blindside the league with one of the most intriguing young cores outside of Philadelphia.
It won’t jell overnight — LaVine will have a lot of rust and dust to shake off. But once he is up to snuff, LaVine will be a challenging matchup for defenders, and best of all, he has already proven he can co-exist with high usage rate players like Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
While Wiggins and LaVine both were players who like to take it to the rack, this Bulls triumvirate has even more legs under it, with LaVine as the lone pure slasher. Markkanen has proven to be a reliable long range threat while Dunn’s unselfish court vision allows him to be an effective facilitator. Without the onus on Dunn having to score as much as he has been, LaVine is going to be a breakout player after the All-Star break, gaining attention in both fantasy and reality sports.
Lavine should be back in the lineup on Saturday and although he may look especially rusty being guarded by Avery Bradley, the Bulls has done a great job of being crafty with other rostered players — a luxury that will help to bring LaVine along at a healthy pace.
For instance, head coach Fred Hoiberg has praised the pesky defensive and gritty play of ex-Laker David Nwaba, and the development of versatile wing Denzel Valentine has also given Chicago the pad needed to monitor LaVine’s minutes as he returns to form. With the other marketable assets Chicago owns like Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic, it’s clear that the future is bright in the Windy City.
Next: 2017-18 Week 13 NBA Power Rankings
Welcome back, Zach LaVine!