Getting his points across
Wade takes note of LaVine’s recent scoring stretch
DETROIT — Zach LaVine has been on a tear offensively since the start of December, and his recent scoring outburst caught the attention of one NBA legend.
LaVine dropped 43 points Friday night in a 116-105 loss against the Pacers, including a stretch between the second and third quarters in which he scored 20 consecutive Bulls points, carrying the offense almost singlehandily and prompting a tweet from Dwyane Wade.
“I can’t say it enough Zach LaVine is a problem,” Wade wrote on Twitter early Saturday. “I can’t wait to watch him over the next few years blossom.”
LaVine does his best to stay off Twitter, but a friend of his, whom he described as a huge Wade fan, passed along the tweet happily.
“It was cool, you always want to show your respect to dudes like that,” LaVine said before Saturday’s game against the Pistons. “He’s a top-three or four shooting guard ever, so it was cool. I played against him when he was still D-Wade. You know he gave us 25 in the second half, so it’s a good compliment.”
It’s a compliment well earned considering LaVine’s recent stretch. Entering Saturday’s game in Detroit, LaVine averaged 26.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 44% from the field and 40% on 3-pointers since the start of December. The hot stretch increased his season averages to 24.4 points — which would be a career high — 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
Those numbers are helping him build an increasingly compelling case to appear in the All-Star Game next month at the United Center, especially considering how much the Bulls offense struggles without him. With LaVine on the court, the Bulls have an offensive rating of 107.3, still below average compared with the rest of the NBA, but that number plummets to an ugly 99.6 when he sits, which would be by far the worst in the league.
And if LaVine’s game has taken a step forward recently, he is glad others are taking note and realizing he might not be done improving.
“I appreciate people being able to see things into the future a little bit,” LaVine added. “Not try to put a ceiling on me because I know I’m not where I can be. I want to continue to grow, I see myself continuing to get better and better.”
That means getting better at little things, such as a missed box-out attempt on T.J. Warren near the end of fourth quarter Friday night that LaVine was kicking himself about afterward or becoming a more complete playmaker, especially down the stretch.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that he has been that guy at times and he will continue to grow into being that guy more consistently,” coach Jim Boylen said. “It’s on his heart. It’s something he talks about, cares about. …
“He wants to win. He wants to be thought of as not just an elite player but a winning player. It’s on his heart.”
Earning the respect and praise of players — and ex-players such as Wade — around the league is a step in that direction.