The Chicago Bulls nearly lost out on the talents of shooting guard Zach LaVine last summer when the Sacramento Kings tried to acquire him.
It is always an interesting situation when the Chicago Bulls have a top player, like that of rising star shooting guard Zach LaVine, lashing out at critics in a respectable way. Zach LaVine is one of those players that will soon be looking to command more of the respect his game deserves. We just have to wait and see what happens for the Bulls next season.
Zach LaVine is one of the top scorers that the Bulls have in the mix this season. He could also become a key part of this rebuild moving forward. He originally stuck with the Bulls because this team matched his offer sheet from the Sacramento Kings last off-season for four years and $78 million.
In regard to this contract situation from the previous summer, Zach LaVine opened up with Bulls reporter K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. This piece mentioned this about his contract situation last off-season: “When the Bulls matched the Kings’ four-year, $78 million offer sheet in July to retain LaVine, some critics pounced.”
As a response to that from Johnson in this Chicago Tribune piece, Zach LaVine stated: “Now it’s looking like I’m a pretty good deal, right?”
He’s right on some level that the critics jumped too early on assuming that the Bulls made the wrong move here. Some of the past stat trends for LaVine also indicated that he was on the up and up entering this 2018-19 regular season.
Since LaVine posted a season that was nearly worthy of All-Star selection, this is looking like a great move from the Bulls front office at the moment. The go-to scorer that a lot of teams in the Eastern Conference don’t have could be in the Windy City right now with LaVine.
In what action he did see this season, LaVine registered 23.7 points per game, 4.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and one steal. He also posted a player efficiency rating at 18.7, which is very respectable for a player on a drowning team like the Bulls.
The only issue for the value of LaVine this season was the amount of time he missed in the later stages. He did play in 63 games this season, but missed some time down the stretch due to a lingering knee injury that was smart for the coaching staff not to push.
Zach LaVine took a big jump individually this season, but he’s ready for the Bulls to do the same as a team: “Everything comes from winning.” @DarnellMayberry: https://t.co/qUmhKa7OD5
— The Athletic Chicago (@TheAthleticCHI) April 7, 2019
LaVine already had to get a reconstructed knee once thanks to a host of joint injuries stemming from an ACL tear a few years back. He’s recovered beautifully since then, and it’s a good thing that this current injury didn’t come about from that past ACL tear and knee reconstruction. Head coach Jim Boylen needs to remain patient with LaVine too.
However, the point here is that LaVine has the right to prove critics wrong after he had a nice season for himself in his second year in the Windy City. The patience has to be running thin with this Bulls fan base to see some postseason success roll through once again. LaVine’s surge could help get this franchise there pretty soon.