Predicting the Chicago Bulls' starting five for the 2022-23 season

Predicting the Chicago Bulls’ starting five for the 2022-23 season

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 07: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls talks with Ayo Dosunmu #12 and DeMar DeRozan #11 against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on March 7, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Bulls 121-106. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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Chicago Bulls, Zach LaVine (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Chicago Bulls projected starting shooting guard: Zach LaVine

This one is a no-brainer. LaVine is coming off of a season in which he averaged 24.4 points per game on 60.5 percent true shooting, and EPM viewed him as one of the league’s best offensive players (96th percentile). This earned him his second straight All-Star appearance in February and a $215.2 million max contract in July.

A tremendous athlete who uses those gifts to propel his three-level scoring (though his mid-range efficiency dipped significantly last year), LaVine continued to leverage the gravity he creates as a scorer (95th percentile in Box Creation) to create opportunities for his teammates (94th percentile in potential assists per 100 passes).

Even though LaVine isn’t at LeBron James, Luka Doncic, or Trae Young’s level as a passer, he can make the obvious reads that the extra attention sent his way opens up.

There are fewer nice things to say about LaVine’s defense. For a while, many considered him to be one of the worst wing defenders in the league, but he has improved over the last couple of seasons. Still, he’s a liability on this end of the floor and head coach Billy Donovan will have to hide him, a task that becomes harder without Lonzo Ball.

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