3 Bulls players that are slumping to start off January

Chicago Bulls players slumping to start January: Zach LaVine

This is where we start to get into the real meat of the list. It was very clear that in the loss to the Mavs, the Bulls needed to play better defense and get more production from their top stars. That conversation all starts with star shooting guard Zach LaVine.

LaVine came out against the Mavs with a strong two-way effort. But his production and efficiency largely started to fade as the game moved along. LaVine would finish that outing against the Mavs with his least efficient game of the season so far. And there were other indications that LaVine was slumping in areas out of the gates in 2022.

Granted, LaVine’s -8.7 box plus/minus in the loss to the Mavs was a pretty big deciding factor in him making this list in the first place.

You also don’t have to look too far in LaVine’s splits on the season so far to see that his production is taking a hit this month. In four games played so far this month, LaVine has registered season lows with a 106 offensive rating/120 defensive rating.

LaVine’s turnover numbers are up, rebounding numbers are way down, as are his shooting percentages. He’s shooting around 10 percentage points less from the field this month compared to last. And his three-point shooting percentage is down around 5.5 percentage points compared to last month.

While LaVine averaging around 27 points per game, three rebounds, and two assists, while shooting 43 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc is no reason to panic, it’s worth watching in the weeks ahead. He’s an important piece to making this entire team go.