Shooting Guard: Zach LaVine
Shooting guard might be the most firmly entrenched position that the Bulls have at the moment. Whether the new look front office regime likes him or not, the 6-foot-6 and 180 pound former UCLA Bruins shooting guard Zach LaVine is going to be one of the focal points of this team next season. LaVine was really the only shot that the Bulls had at landing an All-Star selection when NBA All-Star Weekend was hosted at the United Center in Chicago this year.
The potential ascent to stardom for LaVine should only continue from here. He had his best season in the NBA to date during the 2019-20 campaign. LaVine played in 60 games (starting in every single one of them). He averaged 25.5 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. LaVine shot 45.0 percent from the field, 38.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 80.2 percent from the free-throw line.
That amounted to an effective field goal percentage of 52.6 and a 56.8 true shooting percentage.
What LaVine would bring to the table alongside a dynamic playmaking point guard like Ball would be more of a knock down shooter and effective secondary ball handler. LaVine is a great shot creator and difficult shot maker (similar to Kobe Bryant in that regard), but he still has clear flaws to his game that come along with the high usage rate he commands. In the season that was, he registered a career-high 31.7 percent usage rate.
In fact, the only two players that ranked in the top 10 in the NBA in usage rate this season that weren’t All-Star selections were LaVine and former Bulls superstar point guard Derrick Rose. But his defense is improving, and his facilitating ability would likely do the same if some of the offensive playmaking load was taken off of his shoulders and he had a better system to play in than Boylen’s.