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Maybe it’s time to stop thinking about Zach LaVine’s trading possibilities and focus on the right complementary moves so that you can extend him this offseason.
Maybe it’s time to stop focusing on Zach LaVine’s flaws and appreciate his strengths.
Maybe it’s time to stop talking about the fact that he never appeared in the playoffs and realize that his work ethic and commitment to making the right play can be part of winning basketball. .
LaVine’s 39-point, 7-rebound, 4-assist performance in the Bulls’ 118-92 teardown from the Magic has added to the growing body of evidence that his game continues to evolve. The fact that it happened one night after focusing on accepting the defensive attention and postponing more than scoring before scoring the Magic for 24 points in the fourth quarter in Friday’s loss showed its whole package.
You would miss LaVine if he left.
“Dude, he’s really special,” Denzel Valentine said.
LaVine posted his ninth game this season at 30 points or more. If the 89% free-throw shooter hadn’t unusually missed three of five, he would have pocketed his second game by 40 points.
But scoring is what LaVine has always done, which sometimes makes it look effortless. The fact that he averages 5.3 assists, well above his career record of 4.5, is emblematic of his maturity and recognition.
This dynamic can also cut in the other direction. With his post-game comments to reporters on Friday, LaVine essentially warned the Magic that he would be coming out more aggressively on Saturday night. With Lauri Markkanen, Otto Porter Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr. all eliminated due to injuries, he scored 11 points in the first quarter and 22 at halftime.
“He does something new every night that I’m just sitting there like, ‘Damn’. He’s really, really, really good, ”said Valentine. “He’s definitely an All-Star superstar type player. So I have the chance to be his teammate. And he’s a good guy too. So you support him. ”
LaVine’s teammates see his heal factor. Those who were with him in Minnesota saw him recover from a torn left ACL without complaint and with singular focus. Those with him now see a player looking inside to try and improve on his shortcomings – reckless turnovers, defending off the ball – because he’s sick of losing.
“He has known trials and tribulations throughout his career. Go to Minnesota, then come here, get out of an ACL and be thrown in the fire like, “Alright, the Chicago Bulls are yours.” Trying, at 23, to be the best player for one of the top three teams on the market is a lot of pressure, ”said Valentine. “I think he got better every year, and it’s amazing to see.”
In a recent Bleacher Report article, longtime salary cap expert Eric Pincus presented an intriguing scenario in which the Bulls could use some of their projected cap space this offseason to expand LaVine. The cost would be significant – affecting about $ 14 million of planned cap for a $ 151 million transaction over four years. But LaVine’s play makes these deliberations intriguing.
Of course, the Bulls don’t have to because LaVine is under contract until 2022. However, picking a path on LaVine’s future with the franchise has landed on Artūras Karnišovas‘to-do list almost immediately after assuming the position of executive vice president of basketball operations.
As a trainer, Billy Donovan is focusing on the most micro strain at the moment. And he’s happy with LaVine’s co-ability and desire to become more of a two-way player that impacts winning.
“He’s a great guy and he’s a great teammate and he wants to win. He did not do it. He wants to take this step. And sometimes when you’re looking to take that step, you’re like, ‘OK, maybe I need to get my teammates more involved. So let me try to facilitate. Ok, it’s not going well. Now I have to go score, ”Donovan said. “He has to play an identity of what our team needs from him, and he has to be a two-way player.
“And I agree that’s a lot to ask him to do, and he has incredible stamina and endurance. But winning sets the rules, not me. The game sets the rules. It’s hard to win … He’s really trying to figure these things out. And he also wants to be a good teammate. He wants to be a selfless gamer. He wants to improve the people around him.
It happens.
As he answered questions about his Zoom call on Saturday night, LaVine laughed when asked if his aggressive performance was what the Bulls needed in the face of so many injuries.
“I do this,” he said.
And he should wear the Bulls uniform for years to come. Or he will be missed.
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