Chicago Bulls: Projecting the full rotation ahead of regular season

Chicago Bulls starting shooting guard: Zach LaVine

It’s going to be really difficult for star shooting guard and first-time All-Star Zach LaVine to top what he did for the Bulls last season during the 2021-22 campaign. He was one of the best scorers in the East last season, averaging well over 27 points per game. And he did that while shooting around 51 percent from the field, 42 percent from beyond the arc, and 85 percent from the free-throw line.

Where LaVine needs to improve is with his passing and on-ball defense. We also need to see LaVine playing more aware defense off-ball. He does tend to fall asleep at times defensively when he’s not matched up with the player that has the ball in his hands.

LaVine is one of the best tough-shot makers in the NBA today. But he’ll have to do that less now that the Bulls have a much better supporting cast around him. If he was able to nearly join the 50/40/90 club last season with all of the tough shots he was forced to make to power this offense, imagine the percentages he could theoretically shoot this season.

Nearly half of all of the field goal attempts that LaVine took last season came with a defender contesting him (within at least three or four feet of him). And roughly 40 percent of his three-point attempts were contested tightly last season too.

That narrative should change for LaVine with this season since he will have more room to find open shots. And that should lead him to finally be able to put up an assist-to-turnover ratio that comes at least close to touching 2-to-1.

If the Bulls are in contention for a top-six seed in the East through the first half of the regular season, that should be enough for LaVine to get the recognition necessary to get his second career All-Star nod. That would also be his second All-Star selection in a row.