Chicago Bulls: 3 ways Zach LaVine is changing people’s opinion of him

<span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> MVP Race Rankings: Durant regaining his powers </a> </div> </div> <p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lavinza01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Zach LaVine</a> is another such player who has suffered in the same way. He spent years with the Minnesota Timberwolves, being overshadowed on underachieving squads by Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Unlike Wiggins however, LaVine is now on his second team, the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/chicago-bulls/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Bulls</a>, and it has given him a new lease of life.</p> <p>There is nothing like a change of scenery, and coach and system, to make us completely re-evaluate how we see a player. If LaVine were still with the Timberwolves for example, would his continued ability to be an elite player offensively actually be viewed more favorably around Anthony-Towns and Anthony Edwards?</p> <p>In Chicago, and next to a different supporting cast, that is what LaVine has looked to do so far this season. Talk of a first All-Star appearance, in the actual game this time, doesn’t seem out of reach at this moment either. This begs the question, is LaVine now changing people’s perception of him?</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Bigger Market </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_409353" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-409353" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2266,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F635920510.jpeg" alt="Chicago Bulls" width="3200" height="2266" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/635920510.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/635920510-768x544.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Chicago Bulls, Zach LaVine (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>3. Zach LaVine now plays in a bigger market</h2> <p>It may seem like an unfair place to begin, especially for players who are similar to LaVine but in smaller markets, but the fact that he plays for the Bulls matters here. By association with this brand alone, he is viewed differently, and more favorably, than if he were continuing to hoist up tons of shots in Minnesota.</p> <p>It’s not like fans expect him to be the next Michael Jordan offensively, but there is also no doubting that LaVine is an exciting offensive player. His 3-point attempts have also increased over time, and right now stand at 8.8 per game, the highest mark of his career. This compared to 2.2 in his rookie year, back in 2014-15.</p> <p>Evolving his game to fit in with the more modern NBA is one thing, but doing it on the Bulls, who are going to get their fair share of national coverage and at the very least have a couple of nationally televised games and talking heads at least mentioning them, is another. So far this season, this has been to LaVine’s advantage.</p> <p>What also helps here is the fact that while with the Timberwolves, LaVine was known mostly to casual fans as the guy from the Slam Dunk contest (much the way Aaron Gordon of the small market Orlando Magic is still known now). Moving into a bigger market, but with that reputation as an exciting guy, or at the very least, somebody who a lot of fans know, can help change a perception over time.</p> <p>So far this season that has looked to be the case, with LaVine putting up big numbers on a team that League Pass users are going to check in on every so often. A quick look at the NBA Store and you can see that it is LaVine who greets you if you’re looking to buy Bulls gear, with his jersey on sale right next to, you guessed it, Jordan’s.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Right Place, Right Time </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_420770" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-420770" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_992,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1072915786.jpeg" alt="Chicago Bulls" width="1600" height="992" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1072915786.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1072915786-420x260.jpeg 420w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1072915786-768x476.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Chicago Bulls, Zach LaVine (Photo credit should read PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>2. The Chicago Bulls are the right place and the right time</h2> <p>In order to explain this point properly, we must take a quick trip to Florida. For years the Magic were an organization stuck in the abyss, going nowhere fast and failing to get out of the perpetual rebuild they were stuck in. Despite this, their center Nikola Vucevic put up big numbers, on what were always losing teams. He was viewed as part of the problem, an empty stats kind of guy.</p> <p>It was only when the Magic got a competent head coach (who was given more than a year at the helm) and some young talent around Vucevic, that the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/06/orlando-magic-nikola-vucevic-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perception changed</a>. He’s now a top 5 big man in the league, as well as a one-time All-Star. Yet his numbers, although improving, never took a huge leap from the ones he posted when the Magic were just straight bad.</p> <p>Back to LaVine then, who for years has been viewed as a guy who can get you a bucket (or more accurately 20 points a game), but not much else. The Bulls right now are currently 4-7, so not doing much to change the belief that LaVine can contribute to a winning culture. How then is he going about changing people’s perception of him?</p> <p>Right now it is clear the Bulls have something with the young roster they have in place. Coby White is a good young player who is only going to get better. Wendell Carter Jr. has had a slow start to life in the league, but certainly is the kind of guy who you want to have so that you can see what he turns into. Patrick Williams has come in as a rookie and started every game.</p> <p>At this point, Lauri Markkanen, who was the young player who was sent with LaVine on draft night to the Bulls as part of a package that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota, isn’t the key young guy they’re looking to build around. The Bulls are viewed as an up-and-coming team, so right now expectations are low. They are also the Bulls, a liked organization with plenty of history.</p> <p>This is in stark contrast to when LaVine was with the Timberwolves, and alongside Anthony-Towns and Wiggins was expected to make a playoff push. So LaVine is benefitting from a change in the timeline of what is expected of him right now, and fans are just enjoying watching him play. It’s also putting him <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"https://www.nbaanalysis.net/2021/01/13/nba-rumors-chicago-bulls-miami-heat-trade-pairs-up-zach-lavine-jimmy-butler/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">back in trade rumors</a>, which is always a sign people are noticing your game.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Scoring </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_420771" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-420771" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1131504839.jpeg" alt="Chicago Bulls" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1131504839.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1131504839-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Chicago Bulls, Zach LaVine (Photo by Harry Aaron/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>1. Zach LaVine is a scoring machine</h2> <p>At 27.7 points a night (easily a career-high), LaVine is the fourth highest scorer in the entire NBA at the moment. In a recent loss against the L.A. Clippers, he went toe-to-toe with Kawhi Leonard, trading baskets against one of the seven best players in the league. LaVine did not look out of his depth, and he hit a ridiculous 10 3-pointers on his way to scoring 45 points as well.</p> <p>LaVine is somehow still only 25, and you have to believe his best days are still in front of him. If he was in the position of Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics for example, how differently would he be viewed? Even as things stand, however, there is now clearly more reason to take note of LaVine and what he is doing.</p> <p>His scoring prowess alone should be enough to see the Bulls hang around and look to get into the play-in tournament for the postseason (<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2021/01/12/nba-testing-new-covid-protocols-better-than-bubble-pausing-season/6651487002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">if we get that far</a>), and because of LaVine, and pretty much LaVine only, the Bulls rank 15th in offensive rating right now (107.9). Defensively we are all aware of the drawbacks, but if LaVine can become even average on that end, it would be huge.</p> <p>All of which is to say, much like Vucevic in the past, LaVine now has a clearly defined role on this roster, and his scoring output, in particular, is suddenly valued hugely. The next highest scorer on the roster is White with 17.7 (Markkanen is also averaging 17.7 a night, but has appeared in only four games). After that, the drop off to Carter Jr. is substantial (12.8 points).</p> <p>Scoring at a high level consistently is one of the hardest things to do in the league, and a byproduct of that is that it excites fans and sells tickets and jerseys. To that end, LaVine is actually doing a lot to keep the Chicago Bulls in the minds of fans eager to see another young team emerge.</p> <p>All he had to do to achieve this, is exactly what he has done throughout his career to this point. Zach LaVine may finally be in a position that suits his style of play. All that is left to do is routinely put up 30, only this time he won’t be getting ridiculed for it.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="NBA Power Rankings Week 3: Are the Warriors back?" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/10/nba-power-rankings-week-3-golden-state-warriors-back/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/15/chicago-bulls-3-ways-zach-lavine/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/10/nba-power-rankings-week-3-golden-state-warriors-back/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA Power Rankings Week 3: Are the Warriors back? </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">