Chicago Bulls: Analyzing Zach LaVine’s dip in production

After an incredible start to the season, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine has seen a dip in production recently. Let’s analyze his offensive play as of late.

Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine took the league by storm at the beginning of the 2018-19 season. In the eight regular season games in October, LaVine averaged 28.1 points per game on an efficient 51 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from 3-point range, including four consecutive games with at least 30 points to start the season.

Since December 1, though, LaVine has only averaged 20.8 points per game. That’s nearly eight points less than what he was averaging to start the season. That’s a major difference. In addition to that, LaVine has only scored 30 or more points once since November 5. How can this dramatic dip in production be explained?

For starters, the return of Lauri Markkanen in December meant the Bulls had to find room for Lauri’s 14.6 field goal attempts per game. That definitely affected LaVine, but Markkanen’s reinsertion into the lineup isn’t the only reason behind LaVine’s dip in production.

Zach’s been suffering from a lack of aggression lately.

In October LaVine got to the line 7.5 times per game. Through 11 games in January, he’s getting to the line a mere 4.8 times per game. If there’s one thing we can learn from that bearded fellow in Houston it’s that getting to the free-throw line is a really good way to score the basketball. Every elite scorer in today’s NBA needs to be able to get to the line at a high clip. For whatever reason, LaVine just isn’t doing that anymore.

Maybe some of the blame falls on the refs for not blowing the whistle. Maybe LaVine’s willingness to take hits is decreasing as the Bulls continue to get blown out game after game. Either way, Zach needs to find a way to get back to the free-throw line – it’s essential for his production.

One area that LaVine has improved on over the course of the season, though, is shot selection. In October and November, LaVine was shooting 4.3 shots per game from the mid-range. Since December 1, that number has been nearly cut in half.

That’s definitely good news for Bulls fans. This era of the NBA has proven that mid-range jumpers are the most inefficient way to put points on the board. Yes, they still have their place in the sport of basketball, but they should be used selectively.

It’s tough to criticize LaVine for what he’s done this season. He’s clearly the best offensive player on a team in desperate need of offense. Without LaVine, the Bulls would somehow be even more horrendous than they already are. However, if LaVine wants to take the next step forward in his offensive game, he needs to return to his aggressive self and get back to the free-throw line.