NBA Draft: Re-drafting the 2014 NBA Draft’s first round

2014 NBA Redraft: 3. Zach LaVine, Philadelphia 76ers

Zach LaVine started his NBA career as the third wheel on the Minnesota Timberwolves behind both Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins in the pecking order. His numbers didn’t suffer much because of it, with 18.9 points per game during his final season with the team.

It was upon being dealt to the Chicago Bulls in the summer of 2017 and a full recovery from a torn ACL where the former 13th overall pick would be allowed to show the full range of his offensive powers.

Things have been going pretty well since then, with LaVine making 20-point outings a nightly occurrence, combining his well-known athleticism with dynamic ball-handling and accurate 3-point shooting.

Yet as good as his numbers got, LaVine was never recognized as more than an empty-calorie player on a lowly Bulls team.

That perception changed this year in large part because LaVine gave the masses no choice. Chicago has risen to respectable heights fighting for a playoff spot with LaVine pouring in nearly 30 points a night, often saving his team with late-game heroics that rival the best closers in the business.

For his efforts, LaVine earned his first-ever All-Star nod. It was well deserved. More importantly, it reshaped an image the two-time dunk champion has worked so hard to shed.