Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine flashing All-Star potential
Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine is playing at an All-Star level while quietly establishing himself as the team’s go-to player.
The Chicago Bulls acquired Zach LaVine in a draft-night trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves during the offseason. In his third season in Minnesota, LaVine established himself as a viable third scoring option behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, averaging 18.9 points per contest – an eight point increase from the 10.1 points per out outing he posted during his rookie campaign.
LaVine had also earned a reputation for being a human highlight reel. I guess that it was happens when you win the Slam Dunk Contest in consecutive years (2015 and 2016).
In spite of what he had accomplished in such a short period of time, there was concern among the Bulls’ fansbase as to how LaVine would perform on the heels of a torn ACL injury that sidelined him for 11 months.
After witnessing the impact this kind of injury had on former Bull Derrick Rose, no one could blame the fans for their concern. This, along with the fact that LaVine’s production was somewhat sporadic through his first eight games in a Bulls uniform – including a combined 5-for-28 effort against the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers – did little to quiet the whispers.
Over the last five games, though, LaVine has been playing at a different level, to say the least. In a road loss at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers, LaVine scored 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting and connected on three of his four attempts from beyond the arc in 22 minutes of action.
In his next two outings against the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings, the fourth-year guard poured in 21 and 27 points, respectively, while collecting 12 rebounds and handing out six assists.
While those outings were impressive, it is the team’s last two games in which LaVine is really starting to make a name for himself as a member of this Bulls squad. In the highly-anticipated matchup against the Timberwolves on Feb. 9, LaVine held his own against his former team.
Although Jimmy Butler had a great all-around game with 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in his return to the Windy City, LaVine was no slouch either. In 33 minutes of action, he poured in 35 points on 12-for-26 shooting while converting 10 of his 11 attempts from the charity stripe. Even more important, LaVine scored the Bulls’ last 11 points, helping them escape with a 114-113 victory in a game in which they trailed by as many as 17 points.
Talk about coming up big in the clutch.
In the team’s most recent game against the Orlando Magic, LaVine delivered down the stretch once again. What should have been an easy win for the Bulls turned out to be anything but that.
Despite the fact they were up by an 18-point margin in the fourth quarter, the Magic responded with a 26-8 run, tying the score at 101.
Once again, when the Bulls needed their star player the most, he delivered. With the Magic having a chance to take the lead in the game’s final moments, LaVine stole the inbounds pass and finished the sequence with a thunderous dunk.
LaVine added a pair of free throws to give the Bulls just their second victory in the last 10 games and stated that he has no problem being the team’s closer.
"“I embrace it,” LaVine told ESPN. “You have to get it done. Everybody wants to have the ball in their hands at the end of games. But you have to have the confidence and the ability to do it. And I think I do.”"
True, five games isn’t a huge sample size to work with. On the flip side of the narrative, though, LaVine has proven to be the centerpiece of a trade that looked one-sided initially.
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Furthermore, his play should continue to improve as he works towards clearing the final hurdle of being able to participate in back-to-back games.