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Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine poised for first All-Star season

By Vaughn Dalzell

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 05: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates his three point shot in the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on November5, 2018 in New York City. 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 Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 05: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates his three point shot in the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on November5, 2018 in New York City. 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 Elsa/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Zach LaVine enters his sixth season in the NBA coming off career-highs in nearly every statistical category.  A summer of workouts varying from on the beach to the weight room and open runs with current and former players has LaVine ready to fly high in his third year with Chicago.

Zach LaVine is coming off his most impressive season to date with the Chicago Bulls, and that was just the beginning. Entering his sixth season in the league and third with Chicago, LaVine will look to build off a stellar campaign and earn his first All-Star Game bid. He may have an advantage as the NBA All-Star Weekend is in Chicago for the first time since 1988 when Michael Jordan scored 40 points and won MVP off 17-of-23 shooting.

LaVine may not be the All-Star Game MVP in 2020, but I can assure you he will be in it. LaVine finished the season ranked 16th in scoring (23.7ppg) and 15th in minutes (34.5) as the primary ball-handler and scoring option for the Bulls.

2018-19 was a trying year for the franchise and fanbase as they replaced Fred Hoiberg with Jim Boylen in December of 2018. This was certainly a surprise move because of timing and the fact the team was going through injuries, but it affected the Bulls right away and in a positive manner. Right before Hoiberg was fired, Chicago lost six-straight games and after adding Boylen, they won four of their next 10 games.

The issues that hurt the Bulls post-Hoiberg continued with injuries to multiple players and Boylen running practice too hard and too often. This became an issue to the point where players went to management to complain and Bulls fans were reminiscent of Tom Thibodeau, but Boylen’s 33 years of coaching experience, including 20 seasons in the NBA can be what the Bulls need moving forward, not a coach that was brought in from Iowa State.

Now in his first full year, Boylen will certainly lean on his one-two punch in LaVine and Lauri Markkanen to average at least 40 points a night combined. Markkanen is one of the more skillful shooting big men in the league and showed just that last season launching 6.4 threes a night and making 36.1 percent while LaVine attempted 5.1 per game nailing 37.4 percent.

The two went through injuries last year that derailed what ended as a dreadful season in Chicago, but a full year with Boylen, a healthy LaVine, Markkanen, and Carter, the Bulls look ready to build off their 22-win season a year ago and realistically compete for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

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