Chicago Bulls: 3 starters who struggled mightily on defense this season

Zach LaVine, SG

The play of first-time All-Star selection and 26-year-old star shooting guard Zach LaVine this season has been nothing short of stellar. But the Bulls are about to see how good they can do this week, and maybe a few weeks after, without LaVine in the rotation as he has to sit out due to the league’s health and safety protocols.

Given the length and insanely gifted physical tools that LaVine brings to the table, there’s not much of an excuse for him to continue to struggle on defense. And it’s not a great sign that his defensive stats are taking a step back this season after making steady progress over the course of the previous three years.

If there was a single flaw to point out in LaVine’s game this season, it has to still be with his play on the defensive end of the floor. LaVine is often getting beat, whether he’s defending a two-guard or on the perimeter. Differing rotations run by Donovan this season has also made it difficult for LaVine to find any consistency on that end of the floor.

So far this season, LaVine has registered a -1.0 defensive box plus/minus rating, career-low 114 defensive rating, 1.5 defensive win shares, career-low 1.1 steal percentage, and a 1.2 block percentage. LaVine is still averaging 0.5 blocks per game this season, but his steals per game are nearly cut in half compared to last season.