Zach LaVine’s first goal: Stay healthy
In previous years, LaVine’s health has been a consistent concern. A torn ACL in February of 2017 ended his season and caused him to appear in only 24 games in 2018, his first with the Bulls. LaVine has shown he’s the consummate professional and will continue to take great care of his body.
Since returning from injury, he’s shown that he hasn’t lost a bit of the explosiveness that allowed him to put one of the greatest dunking exhibitions in the history of the contest in his first two seasons.
This past February, a clip of him almost completing a 360 degree dunk from the free throw line in a Bulls practice went viral. Most people wouldn’t even think of trying something like that. But anyone who watched the clip came away thinking LaVine could pull it off in one more attempt if he really wanted to.
Last year was a step in the right direction; LaVine appeared in 60 out of 65 games. However, fans, media and even coaches have short memories and are often susceptible to being “frozen in the moment.” If he misses games early in the season, the narrative that he’s injury-prone could rear its ugly head and cause voters to leave his name off the ballot.