2. Zach LaVine
As the center piece of the Butler trade, Zach LaVine has an opportunity to be the driving force of Chicago’s offense. In Minnesota, LaVine was part of a young core along with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Timberwolves decided to jump start their process by trading him for Butler–a proven All-Star and two-way player.
LaVine is electric on offense. He’s an amazing dunker and an elite perimeter shooter, having made 38.7 percent of his 6.6 3-point attempts last season. Where Butler scored most of his points in the mid-range area, LaVine’s offensive game is made for today’s NBA. He with either hit you with the 3 or attack close outs and finish at the rim. Despite sharing the offensive load with Wiggins and Towns, LaVine managed to average 18.9 points and 3.0 assists last season. In Chicago, the offense will run through him.
It’s on defense where LaVine needs to prove he can be more than just a flashy scorer. He often loses track of his man, and struggles to fight over screens. If he’s going to be more than Jamal Crawford or Lou Williams 2.0, he needs to get better on that end. At 6-foot-5, 189 pounds, he has only average size. Any improvement will come with more focus and effort.
For the Bulls, they may not ever need LaVine to be more than a score-first sixth-man type. If LaVine wants to become a star, though, he’ll need to find more consistency on both ends of the court. The elite players make the routine plays every night over the course of the season.