What goals should the Chicago Bulls 25-year-old standout shooting guard Zach LaVine have for a critical run during the 2020-21 season?
Each of the last two seasons saw the Chicago Bulls get more and more efficient production from the likes of standout 25-year-old 6-foot-6 shooting guard Zach LaVine. The former UCLA Bruin is turning into one of the most explosive, and just overall best, scorers in the Eastern Conference for the 2020-21 campaign.
LaVine had his best season in the NBA to date during the 2019-20 campaign. And there’s reason to believe that trend will continue for him this season. LaVine is both the highest usage, and most productive, offensive player that the Bulls have on the current roster. That should also remain the same this season.
During the shortened 2019-20 regular season, LaVine played in 60 games for the Bulls (all of which he started in). And 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.
The Bulls also made a lot of changes within the organization this offseason that should only help LaVine’s game from here on out. They replaced former head coach Jim Boylen with the former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan. And executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley were brought in as the lead voices in the front office.
LaVine is also off to a solid start for the Bulls in the preseason, averaging around 20 points per game through two games. This rising star shooting guard and the Bulls take on Donovan’s former team, the Thunder, on Dec. 16 and 18 to round out their four-game preseason slate. It will be interesting to see the amount of playing time that LaVine gets to round out the preseason in the final two games.
Here’s a look into three bold predictions for LaVine during the 2020-21 season.