1. No true star presence
Not to hate on what the Chicago Bulls are getting out of 6-foot-6 shooting guard Zach LaVine this season, but he’s not what a team that wants to be a playoff-caliber team would have as their go-to scorer/star player. LaVine is a breakthrough player that could also be a rising star in the NBA, but he is a secondary scorer on most playoff teams.
Given the fact that NBA All-Star Weekend was hosted at the United Center in Chicago this year, LaVine definitely should’e gotten more recognition to possibly received his first selection for the game. But the Bulls were still without an All-Star selection yet again, even though LaVine was knocking on the door.
Maybe the 6-foot-5 rookie former North Carolina Tar Heels point guard Coby White could find that elusive path to stardom. He’s hot out of the All-Star Break, and delivering on the promise that GarPax bought into during the 2019 NBA Draft. Former Arkansas Razorbacks center and rookie big man Daniel Gafford was also a solid pick for the Bulls so far.
But the Bulls will not come even close to taking that next step until they land a true star. The NBA is now a star driven league and the Bulls are really missing out on the trend. They had the chance to build around a star in small forward Jimmy Butler. Then the Miami Heat realized sooner than the Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, or Philadelphia 76ers that Butler is worth building around given the right supporting cast and team culture.