NEW YORK — There’s still a discussion to have with the medical staff over the next few days, but all indications are that Zach LaVine will finally make his return to the court Friday when the Bulls host the Hornets.
According to coach Billy Donovan, LaVine went through his final intense practice with the Windy City Bulls at the Advocate Center on Wednesday, and all reports were positive. As long as the right foot doesn’t have some unforeseen soreness when LaVine wakes up Thursday morning, he should be cleared.
LaVine last played in a 27-point loss in Boston on Nov. 28, before the pain in his foot reached a point where the team opted to shut him down.
The initial concerns were the Bulls would continue to spiral — they were 5-14 at the time — with LaVine in street clothes, but that played out much differently. The team went on a four-game winning streak without LaVine and did so with a style of complementary basketball that they haven’t shown since early in the 2021 season.
Even with some struggles over the last week with Nikola Vucevic (groin) also being sidelined, the Bulls were 10-7 without LaVine, including the 116-100 loss to the host Knicks on Wednesday.
What can they expect in adding the two-time All-Star? Depends who is asked.
“Make sure he feels comfortable and not rushed to get back out there so it isn’t a continuous injury,” DeMar DeRozan said. “We could’ve used that extra 20 to 25 to 30 points [against the 76ers on Tuesday]. Gives another dynamic focal point of scoring, playmaking. At the end of the day, it’s still Zach LaVine, and teams have to prepare for that. When we have him on the court, there are so many more options for us to execute.”
At times very true.
But a lot of the winning that has gone on without LaVine has to do with a vastly improved effort on defense, and ball movement on the offensive end. DeRozan and Vucevic were great at sharing the wealth without LaVine, allowing the likes of Patrick Williams and Coby White to put up career-best numbers.
Donovan was asked yet again if he believed LaVine would buy in to that mentality, and again did his best bob-and-weave.
“I do think that when you take some time, take a step back, and see as many games as he’s seen, I do think you get clarity, you do get perspective,” Donovan said. “I don’t think from my standpoint anything has changed from what we need from him.”
“I don’t know if I would use the word buy-in or lack of buy-in. I do think there’s times in games where he feels like it’s his responsibility to go do it. At times he can, in the flow of the game, he can do an even better job of identifying what’s available. . . . For me, the whole thing with him is quick decisions. ‘Downhill, shoot it, get off it.’ The more he does that, not only will it open it up for him, but it will open it up for others.”
In other words, they don’t need LaVine to be a ball stopper or get caught up in isolation ball.
Has LaVine learned that with the time off? The Bulls will start to find out Friday.
Vooch news
Vucevic began the week barely running with that groin strain but that changed quickly on Wednesday, according to Donovan.
The center not only progressed in the running department but came out of the workout “really good.”
The hope was a more definite timetable can be figured out over the next few days.
