Chicago Bulls: 5 reasons for optimism despite poor record
2. LaVine’s numbers trending upward
Following an ACL injury that kept him on the shelf for nearly a year, Zach LaVine suited up just 24 times for the Bulls in 2017-18. In those appearances, he posted averages of 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists on shooting splits of .383/.341/.813.
Yes, the numbers were reasonable coming off such a serious injury, but many wondered if he was worth the four-year, $78 million deal he signed during the offseason based on the small sample size of games.
In Year 2, though, it has been a different story.
Not only is LaVine’s scoring average (23.6 points per contest) up nearly seven points per game from a season ago, he is also shooting the ball at a more efficient clip, converting 46.7 percent of his overall attempts and he is shooting 37.1 percent from 3-point range.
What is also noticeable is the fact he is becoming a better facilitator. On the season, LaVine is averaging 4.6 assists per contest, which is the highest average of any year he’s been in the league. This includes an impressive 5.8 dimes per outing during the month of February.
Dime alert! Watch @ZachLaVine dish this sweet bounce pass to @wendellcarter34 for the dunk.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 2, 2019
December’s edition of @RushMedical’s Assist of the Month: pic.twitter.com/a7OuSgxkAG
No, LaVine hasn’t performed as well on defense (currently ranked 89th out of 97 players at his position in real defensive plus minus) as the guy he was essentially brought in to replace — Jimmy Butler.
The good news is he’s starting to play better at that end of the floor, and hopefully with a bit of time, he will become the legitimate two-way player the team had hoped for when they acquired him in the summer of 2017.