Following a key road win that came in narrow fashion for second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls north of the border on the night of Oct. 25, this team is looking to stay undefeated through a difficult stretch of the early-season schedule. Donovan and the Bulls do hold a spotless 4-0 record to start the season.
But this is where the schedule is going to start getting more difficult for the Bulls in the coming weeks. Next up for the Bulls is a meeting at home at the United Center on the night of Oct. 28 against the New York Knicks and former Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau.
It looks like the Bulls will also have their top star dealing with an injury for at least the next few games too. According to a report from Shams Charania of Stadium/The Athletic on Twitter on Oct. 27, the Bulls star shooting guard Zach LaVine is dealing with a “small ligament tear in the thumb of his non-shooting hand” and that he “intends to play through the injury”.
Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine could be playing through a thumb injury
Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine has a small ligament tear in the thumb of his non-shooting hand but intends to play through the injury, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. It’s a matter of pain tolerance and LaVine wants to play as Chicago starts the season 4-0.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 27, 2021
This is good news that LaVine has the ligament tear in the thumb of his non-shooting hand. That will allow him to play through the pain more effectively. But it doesn’t guarantee that this injury won’t limit and/or bother him in some way. An injury like this to the non-shooting hand can still cause a lot of discomfort and disrupt his shooting rhythm.
Nonetheless, the Bulls do have some other offensive weapons that can shoulder more of the scoring load if need be. Star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan, center Nikola Vucevic, point guard Lonzo Ball, etc. can all help with taking some of the onus off of LaVine on the offensive end.
LaVine is off to a really good start this season for the Bulls. He’s averaged around 26 points per game, five rebounds, five assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. And LaVine shot 50 percent from the field, 44 percent from beyond the arc, and 95 percent from the free-throw line.
Next up for LaVine and the Bulls following the narrow three-point win over the Raptors on the road is that aforementioned matchup at home against the Knicks. Tip-off time between the 4-0 Bulls and 3-1 Knicks is set for 7 p.m. CT in Chicago on Oct. 28.