1. Zach LaVine, Shooting Guard
The Chicago Bulls should be thankful that they get Coby and LaVine going nuclear when they do. The Bulls would more than likely have anywhere between 10-12 less wins on the season if not for the games where LaVine and White got hot down the stretch. A win last week over the Cleveland Cavaliers that saw LaVine go off for a game-high 44 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists proved that fact.
If LaVine isn’t selected as an All-Star this season it would be a travesty since this year’s game is hosted at the United Center in Chicago. A deeper East than usual would be the main thing holding LaVine back from getting his first career All-Star selection despite averaging around 30 points per game during the month of January.
LaVine has one of the highest usage rates in the NBA this season (31.7 percent), but he is maximizing all the looks he gets. The idea that LaVine is just a stat sheet stuffer that went around the NBA for the last year or so is starting to fade. The Bulls are winning more now and sit just two games behind a playoff spot in the East more than halfway through the regular season.
So far this season, LaVine is averaging a career-best 25.2 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from three-point range. He has nearly four win shares already and is boasting a player efficiency rating just shy of 20. LaVine’s defense is finally getting better too, and the numbers show it (career-best 108 defensive rating and two defensive win shares).