Chicago Bulls Player Grades: Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine was a major bright spot for the Chicago Bulls during the 2020-21 NBA season. Not only did he take another major step in his development but he was rewarded for taking that step.

LaVine made his first all-star appearance this year behind his stellar offensive play. It wasn’t just the strong finish to the season that was impressive, although that strong finish was great to see following his time missed.

The scoring guard had a career year in what was his seventh NBA season and that gives reason to believe he could continue taking steps until we are proven otherwise.  LaVine set new career-highs across the board.

He averaged 27.4 points, 5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. To top it off he did this on career-high efficiency from both the field and behind the three-point line.

Ultimately he finished seventh in the league in scoring right behind Luka Doncic and in front of Zion Williamson. The only players to finish above him in scoring are often discussed faces of the league such as Doncic, Joel Embiid and Stephen Curry.

Those types of players are also right behind him with Williamson, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving rounding out the top ten. When you look at it like that, it’s fair to wonder if LaVine is really getting the respect he has earned from national media.

Sure, the Bulls were terrible, but LaVine did everything he could do and carried them like few players can for the first half of the season. By the end, it wasn’t enough, though he certainly established himself as one of the best scoring guards in the entire league.

His defense often leaves a lot to be desired, which isn’t rare from star players in today’s NBA. Due to that, his grade won’t get knocked too much because of it. Although next year he has to come in ready and energized on that end of the floor since he will know how much defense the roster lacks as a whole.

That would be another step, and a huge one at that, in his progression. It was shocking to see how much better he got this year after playing very well last year, so I wouldn’t doubt him.

He became a true leader of the team and you can tell when you watched them play, especially early in the season. His elite efficiency helped him become one of the game’s best closers as well.

He averaged the fourth most fourth-quarter points in the entire league by putting up 7.2 points per final quarter. It wouldn’t be realistic or fair for Bulls fans to expect anything more from him this season.

Chicago Bulls Zach LaVine Season Grade: A-

As mentioned earlier, it’s hard for me to give a perfect or near-perfect grade for someone who was on a poor team and didn’t do anything consistently on the defensive end of the floor. His game was unreal this year, though.

An A- is a strong grade but confirms the need for Zach LaVine to take a step forward defensively when next season rolls around.