The long-awaited return of the Chicago Bulls star shooting guard and 26-year-old former UCLA Bruin Zach LaVine is finally set to happen on May 6, when they hit the road to take on the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. In the final meeting with the Hornets for the regular season, the Bulls are actually set to get back both of their top stars after absences due to various reasons.
The Bulls are going to get LaVine back after roughly a dozen game-long absence due to a violation of the league’s health and safety protocol. And star center Nikola Vucevic looks set to make his return on May 6 against the Hornets after missing the last couple of games due to an adductor injury.
With both LaVine and Vucevic out for the Bulls, the team extending their losing streak to four games. Their last outing resulted in a double-digit loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and the star duo of point guard Ben Simmons and center Joel Embiid at home at the United Center back on May 3.
That means that LaVine, Vooch, and the Bulls take a record of 26-39 into their meeting with the Hornets on the night of May 6.
Speaking to reporters for first time in a while, Zach LaVine confirms a positive test for COVID-19 landed him in health and safety protocols. Said he wouldn’t call his case asymptomatic, but he “felt fine.”
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) May 5, 2021
How Zach LaVine can make an impact for the Chicago Bulls upon his return?
LaVine reportedly did come down with a positive COVID-19 test, which led to the mandatory quarantine he faced over the course of the last few weeks. But he stated that he “felt fine” during his quarantine period, despite coming down with the COVID-19 case.
That is good news for the Bulls since a positive COVID-19 diagnosis could impact the players physically and mentally in different ways from what we’ve seen in the world of professional sports over the course of the pandemic since March 2020. This is the longest stretch of games that LaVine has missed for the Bulls in a good while too.
Upon LaVine’s return, the Bulls only have seven regular season games remaining and are more than three games behind the Washington Wizards for the final spot in the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference. They are facing a tall task if the Bulls want to get in the play-in tournament later this month.
It will help that the Bulls are getting LaVine and Vooch back for their final stretch run of the regular season, but it might be too little too late at this point. At least giving LaVine the opportunity to shake some rust off down the stretch could help him entering the offseason.
Tip-off time between the Bulls and Hornets is set for 6 p.m. CT at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC, on May 6. The first-time All-Star selection LaVine will be looking to help the Bulls snap their four-game losing streak in this first leg of back-to-back games. After facing the Hornets on May 6, the back end of this set of back-to-back games comes against the Boston Celtics at home at the United Center on May 7.