Find a good rhythm and Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine could be off and rolling to a win over the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 23.
One of the worst starts of the regular season so far for the Chicago Bulls saw them fall short against former star small forward Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat at home at the United Center on Nov. 22. That was not the way that head coach Jim Boylen and the Bulls had to anticipate they would be heading into the weekend.
However, a 116-108 victory at least signaled a strong Bulls comeback in the second half against the Heat. But the point remained the Boylen was completely outclassed and out-coached by head coach Erik Spoelstra and the Heat on Friday night. The Bulls got behind by 20 points for a good portion of the first quarter.
No matter how good the Bulls played down the stretch, it was going to be improbable for them ever to make a big enough second half comeback to beat the Heat.
Where the Bulls need to turn their focus to now is the team that knocked them off in the regular season opener exactly one month ago. The Charlotte Hornets took down the Bulls by the final score of 127-125 in one of the more devastating of the 11 losses of the regular season so far.
Since that season opening loss to the Hornets, the Bulls haven’t done a whole lot better. Meanwhile, the Hornets put together one of the more impressive runs in the Eastern Conference, as they actually sit within striking distance of a playoff spot right now.
A trio of breakout players that includes former Kansas Jayhawks guard Devonte’ Graham, forward Miles Bridges, and former Kentucky Wildcats rookie forward P.J. Washington, led this Hornets team so far. This looks to be a Hornets team that could have a brighter future in the coming two or three years than it appeared heading into the regular season.
Graham is having a complete breakthrough season where he’s averaging more than 18.0 points per game, and around four rebounds and seven assists. He’s doing all that while shooting better than 40 percent from three-point range and posting a player efficiency rating around 18.
To counter this volume scoring presence, the Bulls need one shooting guard to finally step up and make an impact. So far this season, 24-year-old shooting guard Zach LaVine hasn’t showed much that he will even come close to an All-Star selection this season. That seemed to be the aspirations of LaVine in his third season in a Bulls uniform.
In the loss to the Heat on Nov. 22, LaVine posted just 15 points and three rebounds. He hasn’t lived up to the hype so far, and Boylen even benched him less than four minutes into the showdown against the Heat for the likes of point guard Ryan Arcidiacono.
So far this season, LaVine is averaging 19.5 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, on his way to a sub-15.0 player efficiency rating. Given how he was slotted on the bench by Boylen less than four minutes into the loss to the Heat, this is a much needed game where LaVine could have a big performance against the Hornets.
The Bulls come into this game with a record of 5-11, falling back again in the Central Division standings. And the Hornets are treading water in the weaker Southeast Division with a record of 6-10. And the Bulls are somehow favored over the Hornets in this Nov. 23 matchup in Charlotte, NC, at the Spectrum Center.
Falling to 5-12 on the season would be getting dangerously close for Boylen and the Bulls starting out the same way they did last season before Hoiberg was fired. Hoiberg had a record of 5-19 with the Bulls before he was let go in December 2018.