1. Zach LaVine
As a Bulls fan, it’s difficult to watch Zach LaVine play and not have a smile on my face. After signing a heavily scrutinized 4-year, $78 million contract with the Bulls in July, many fans were understandably upset.
In the 2017-18 season with the Bulls, LaVine only played in 24 games and played pretty poorly for most of those games. But how could the Bulls give up on a young guy with so much potential? Now that LaVine is having an All-Star caliber season, I’m not sure many Bulls fans are still upset about the decision to ink him to a long-term deal.
So far this season, LaVine is averaging 25.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game on 43.5 percent shooting from the field and 30.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
He hasn’t been as efficient as most Bulls fans would like, but his inefficiency can be chalked up to the fact that he’s playing without three of the Bulls’ best offensive weapons. He’s essentially drawing all of the opposing defense’s attention every time he touches the ball. Once Lauri Markkanen, Bobby Portis and Kris Dunn return to the court, LaVine’s efficiency should skyrocket.
18 points and counting for him... @ZachLaVine makes things look seem much easier than they are: pic.twitter.com/BTkBvvbJtG
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 29, 2018
Regardless of poor shooting percentages and questionable shot selection in late-game scenarios, LaVine has been the Bulls best player this season, and it’s not even close. He’s been attacking the basket fearlessly, rebounding well, finishing tough shots at the rim and showing that he can score in a variety of ways outside the paint.
Best of all, LaVine has looked really healthy. The Bulls finally have a superstar on their team again.