One of the most controversial plots of the current NBA season was the degree to which observers denied credit to Zach LaVine for his best offensive performance with the Chicago Bulls.
Despite having an average line of statistics of 29.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists – with efficiency numbers that put it in the 86th percentile in the league, according to Synergy Sports – LaVine is often dismissed as a player who gives good numbers on a bad team. While it is true that the Bulls are far from candidates, even if they are significantly better than most thought they would make it into the season, the implication that LaVine is simply producing empty calories is not.
Consider the efficiency numbers mentioned above. Like the Twitter feed “Bulls Gold” pointed Earlier this month, LaVine’s offensive performance doesn’t compare only to the league leaders this season, but it has the potential to be one of the most efficient and scoring results of all time. If LaVine continues at his torrid pace, the guard will become only the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 25 points, while shooting 50 percent of the field, 40 percent behind the hoop, 85 percent of the line free throw, all at the same time a 60 percent hit mark. These numbers would not only put him alongside names like Kevin Durant and Larry Bird, but would represent the definitive proof that LaVine had arrived as a bona fide star in the league.
Perhaps as important, however, as the guard’s contributions to Chicago’s progress in becoming a winning team. In 15th place in the NBA in the ranking of offensive wins – tied with Luka Doncic and just ahead of LeBron, James – LaVine elevated the Bulls from a probable position near the end of the Eastern classification to a team currently scheduled to appear in the “game – in ”post-season tournament.
Even on the defensive side of things, LaVine showed a genuine improvement to become at least the league average. Although he can still get lost out of the ball, routinely spinning on picks and failing to anticipate what the attack is trying to do, the guard tightened the screws on his finishes and is less inclined to trust his athletics to steal the ball – which mostly resulted in him being out of position in the past. Although he can never qualify for a Full Defense team, the guard’s effort at least ensures that he does not hurt the Bulls on that side of the court and further increases the effect of his score on the outcome of the game.
Although LaVine may struggle to get a spot on the All-Star team’s reserve unit, the reality is that his performance this season was indicative of a player who should have qualified as a starter, rather than a marginal complement. Although the media narrative has lagged behind in its game, thanks to the inconsistency of the Bulls squad and their lackluster total victories, Chicago may finally be on the verge of building a consistent winner under the leadership of Arturas Karnisovas. If they do, the rest of the league may finally awaken to the growing talent of their head guard.
Zach LaVine is not just showing that he is an All-Star, but a league MVP in the making.
