Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine gets well-deserved first career All-Star nod
The selections were revealed on the night of Feb. 23 as to who would fill out the rest of the rosters for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. And the Chicago Bulls star 25-year-old shooting guard Zach LaVine got what was coming his way this season after his incredibly hot start through 30 games, being named as one of the Eastern Conference’s All-Star reserves.
In front of a national television audience on Feb. 23, the All-Star Game reserves were announced on TNT. And LaVine got one of the four possible reserve spots he could fit into. He was one of four or five guards (depending on what you classify the Boston Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as) to get a spot among the All-Star reserves.
The other guards that made it in for the East were the Brooklyn Nets star and former Houston Rocket James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers standout two-way floor general Ben Simmons. And the rest of the East’s reserves were named as New York Knicks power forward Julius Randle and the Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic.
The Chicago Bulls star making All-Star Weekend
Sources: 2021 NBA All-Star reserves:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2021
West: Chris Paul, Paul George, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis
East: James Harden, Julius Randle, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Zach LaVine, Ben Simmons, Nikola Vucevic
For the Western Conference reserves, Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George, Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, Jazz center Rudy Gobert, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, and Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis, all got the nod.
Moreover, this is the first All-Star selection for the Bulls since the current Miami Heat small forward/shooting guard Jimmy Butler made it back in 2017. This is also a major milestone for LaVine, as this is his first big individual accolade since earning 2014-15 NBA All-Rookie Team honors.
To get this All-Star nod, LaVine averaged 28.6 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks. And he shot an efficient 51.8 percent from the field, 43.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 86.4 percent from the free-throw line.
That all amounted to a career-best 4.3 box plus/minus rating, 1.7 value over replacement player rating, 3.6 total win shares, .162 win shares per 48 minutes, 64.8 true shooting percentage, 117 offensive rating/113 defensive rating, and a 23.0 player efficiency rating.
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LaVine has led the Bulls to register a record of 14-16 through their first 30 games of the regular season. Next up for LaVine and the Bulls is a meeting at home at the United Center against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 24. The All-Star Game itself is set to take place on March 7.