Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine proving star status after win over Magic

One of the better nights in the career thus far of the star 25-year-old 6-foot-6 Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine transpired on the road on Feb. 6. To round out their weekend slate very much on a high note, LaVine gave the Bulls a huge spark to split a back-to-back series on the road with the Orlando Magic and star center Nikola Vucevic.

In their first shot at the Magic on the road on the night of Feb. 5, first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls fell short by just a few points. But Vucevic and the Magic controlled the game nearly the entire way in their single-digit win over the Bulls on Feb. 5.

It was a different story, though, when the Bulls and Magic squared off on the night of Feb. 6. One of the better outings of the season so far for LaVine helped the Bulls control this second meeting between these two teams nearly the entire way.

The Bulls had one of their most dominant quarters of the regular season so far in the second quarter against the Magic on Feb. 6. While the Bulls and Magic tied through the end of the first, the second quarter went to the former of those two teams by a score of 30-12. And the Bulls never looked back in the second half, winning those 24 minutes by nearly a double-digit margin.

What LaVine is doing for the Chicago Bulls

LaVine himself came up huge for the Bulls in this win over the Magic, by the convincing final score of 118-92. He registered a game-high 39 points, to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, no steals, no blocks, and just two turnovers. LaVine shot an efficient 16-of-25 from the field, 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, and a less than stellar 2-of-5 from the charity stripe.

It took LaVine a while to get going in the Bulls loss to the Magic in the first leg of this set of back-to-back games. He took the momentum he built up from his breakthrough fourth quarter in the Bulls Feb. 5 loss to the Magic and came up with a solid outing through and through the following night.

The per game stats, shooting percentages, and all-encompassing advanced metrics that LaVine has posted so far this season continue to improve. He’s now started in all 22 games he’s played in for the Bulls so far this season, averaging around 35 minutes on the floor per game.

LaVine also averaged 27.0 points per game, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 3.9 turnovers. He’s finally just below the mark of four turnovers per game after this win over the Magic.

Moreover, LaVine has shot an efficient 51.2 percent from the field, 41.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 87.2 percent from the free-throw line, in his 22 games played for the Bulls this season.

That all has amounted to a career-best 3.1 box plus/minus rating, 1.0 value over replacement player rating, 2.4 total win shares, .147 win shares per 48 minutes, 64.5 true shooting percentage, 116 offensive rating/113 defensive rating, and a 21.7 player efficiency rating. Essentially all of the major per game stats, shooting percentages, and advanced stats for LaVine are good for career bests this season for LaVine.

While we shouldn’t expect LaVine to come out with performances like he had in the Feb. 6 win over the Magic on a consistent basis, Bulls fans should know that his game continues to elevate to a new level. With the Bulls finding more success in the win column this season than in the past three, LaVine is also starting to garner more league-wide respect than ever before.

Next up for LaVine and the Bulls is a meeting with the struggling Washington Wizards at home at the United Center on Feb. 8, with tip off time set for 7 p.m. CT. The Bulls will carry a record of 9-13 into that game after their win over the Magic.