Pippen Ain't Easy
Fansided

Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine shows out in season debut

By Luke Askew

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 18: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls drives to the basket against Robert Covington #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center on October 18, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Bulls 127-108. 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)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 18: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls drives to the basket against Robert Covington #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center on October 18, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Bulls 127-108. 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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The Chicago Bulls lost in brutal fashion in game one of the 2018-19 NBA season. Zach LaVine was clearly the best Bull on the court in game one.

The Chicago Bulls came out firing in game one. They scored an extremely impressive 41 points in the first quarter leading many to believe that the famous “TNT Bulls” were back.

Unfortunately for Bulls fans, that wasn’t the case.

Yes, the Bulls shot the ball well in the first quarter, but Philadelphia did as well. The difference was that the 76ers continued to play well throughout the game while the Bulls started to look like a bottom-5 team. Sadly, the last 3 quarters probably reflect the trajectory of this team better than the first quarter did.

Even though the Bulls got dismantled by an elite team in front of a national audience on opening night, there were still some inspiring moments from the young Bulls.

Wendell Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchison both got their first official NBA action tonight. Carter finished the game with 8 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 20 minutes of play. Obviously, those aren’t great numbers but matching up with Joel Embiid in your first NBA game is not an easy task. Hutchison, on the other hand, only played in 3 minutes (once the outcome of the game was basically decided) and didn’t score a bucket, but it was still nice to see him out on the court.

Jabari Parker struggled early in the game but started to come alive as he got more comfortable. He finished the game with 15 points and 5 rebounds.

Bobby Portis had an extremely nice night, contributing 20 points and 11 rebounds on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

All of that is good and well, but Zach LaVine is the one who put on a show for Bulls fans in game one.

LaVine scored a cool 30 points and added 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 33 minutes of play.

Zach’s jumper looked good, he finished well around the basket and his athleticism looked back to the level it was at in Minnesota prior to his knee injury. Perhaps the best part of LaVine’s performance tonight, though, was his efficiency.

LaVine finished the game with 11 made field goals on 19 attempts. That’s 58 percent shooting from the field. For reference, last year LaVine shot 38.3 percent from the field.

LaVine won’t keep shooting at a 58 percent clip all season, but if he can keep scoring in an efficient manner, he’ll be poised for a career year.

Next. What do Bulls fans think about the team?. dark

LaVine will look to continue building on his impressive start to the 2018-19 NBA season on October 20 against the Detroit Pistons.

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