Following a win on the road over the Toronto Raptors on the night of Oct. 25 at Scotiabank Arena, the Chicago Bulls started out the season 4-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign. While the Bulls didn’t have the most difficult stretch of opponents to start off the regular season slate, this is still an impressive way to come out of the gates. A rejuvenated Bulls roster is helping to give this team a boost behind the likes of second-year head coach Billy Donovan and star shooting guard Zach LaVine.
It feels like this is a time where LaVine could finally get the respect he deserves as a bona fide star in this league that is more than just a stat sheet stuffer. LaVine needed to play for a winning team for this to happen, though. And he’s finally got the supporting cast for this to come to fruition.
Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine could be a dark horse MVP candidate
Following this 4-0 start for the Bulls this season, we’ll see if this momentum will carry into the difficult portion of the early season schedule in the coming weeks. Just through Nov. 20, the Bulls have matchups against the New York Knicks, Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and the Philadelphia 76ers.
That’s where the real hurdles will come into play for the Bulls. And this is where LaVine’s star status and improvement will be tested. If he can lead this Bulls team through this portion of the schedule with a solid winning record, though, he should be putting the league on watch as a dark horse MVP candidate.
With that in mind, here’s a look into three reasons why LaVine could win MVP this season.