LaVine’s impact goes beyond scoring
Late in the fourth quarter of the Bulls’ 125-120 victory against the Houston Rockets on Monday night, the ball found Zach LaVine with 10 seconds on the shot clock.
The Bulls were up three with about 50 seconds remaining, and that’s usually when LaVine takes over.
Instead, LaVine made a quick read and fired the ball over to a wide-open Lauri Markkanen, who knocked down a 3-pointer. It put the Bulls up by a much more comfortable six points with 46.9 seconds left as they cruised to a second straight victory.
LaVine has repeatedly proved his ability to score in bunches. He racked up a game-high 33 points Monday — his seventh game this season with at least 30 — but lately he has been making plays like the dish to Markkanen more frequently.
And the Bulls offense is reaping the benefits. On Monday, all five starters and seven players total scored in double figures, despite the fact Patrick Williams (hip) and Otto Porter Jr. (back) were inactive.
“He’s trusting us, he’s trusting other guys to make shots,” forward Thaddeus Young said. “He knows opposing teams are going to come in here and try to double- and triple-team him and keep him from driving the basketball and getting scores. So he’s been making great reads.”
LaVine, now playing for his third coach in his fourth season with the Bulls, is off to a terrific start through 14 games. He ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring with 27.4 points per game, and he’s averaging 5.3 assists with a 64% true shooting percentage, both career highs.
Yes, LaVine has scored 30-plus points in six of his last eight games, but his two most recent games have to be the most encouraging for the Bulls in his continued
evolution as a player.
On Monday night, he dished out seven assists to go with his team-high point total, building off a strong game as a facilitator the day before in a win against the Mavericks. On Sunday in Dallas, he didn’t force anything on the floor, collecting 10 assists to offset an off scoring night (10 points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field).
“I just think he cares, like his care for winning has (gone) to another level,” forward Denzel Valentine said. “He’s watching more film. He’s talking to guys more about where they like the ball. After practice the other day, he’s talking to Lauri and Wendell (Carter), trying to figure out the
pick-and-roll.
“He’s just maturing as far as overall trying to just be a winner, and he’s trying to take himself to that next level. We know that he can score, we know that he’s a great player, All-Star-caliber player. But he wants to show people that he can be that kind of player and win at the same time.”
LaVine said experience has helped him react better after watching film from last season and seeing so many double teams. And coach Billy Donovan has helped put his Bulls teammates in much better spots to receive LaVine’s passes.
Seeing the way the Bulls offense has flourished with the ball movement Donovan emphasizes also seems to have played a role in getting LaVine to buy in more as a playmaker. After having one of the worst offenses in the NBA the last two seasons, the Bulls were in the top half (14th) entering Monday. Since Jan. 3, they own the No. 7 offense in the league.
“We’ve got a lot of firepower,” LaVine said. “We’re all starting to learn to move the ball a little bit. I think I’ve done a really good job this year picking my spots, understanding when to shoot and when to pass. Other guys have started to do that as well.”
LaVine’s growth as a playmaker has not come without hiccups.
His assist percentage (24.6%) is as high as it has been since his rookie season (25.0%), but his turnover rate has also reached a career high, contributing about 4.1 per game to the Bulls’ still-too-high 18 turnovers a game — secondworst in the NBA. The Bulls might be getting close to the offense Donovan envisioned during the preseason, but collectively they have to do a better job of taking care of the ball (they had 17 turnovers Monday).
The turnover issues need to be cleaned up, but LaVine, still only 25, is showing he might not have reached his ceiling as a player. His ability to keep evolving would be a huge development for the Bulls future.
“I just feel like each year, you have to learn something,” LaVine said. “Learning each year what I did good and what I still need to improve on and what was missing to help me help my team win.
“Obviously, everybody wants to be a leader, but you’re not just gifted with that. You have to earn it. I feel I’ve taken a step in the right direction and tried to be more unselfish, be more open talking with teammates watching film. I think it’s going well and it’s going to continue to get better the better I get at it.”