Zach LaVine remains in basketball hell.
That’s often where the best player on a bad team resides.
Good enough to put up numbers that at least make him an All-Star snub, but not given the full credit of what he does on a nightly basis because it’s perceived empty calories in the win-loss column.
Imagine what LaVine would be as a third option on a team like the Los Angeles Lakers or the Milwaukee Bucks. Or picture him with Dallas, working alongside Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
LaVine would be the perfect stagger-minutes player in all those scenarios, still able to put up 20-22 points a game, while learning the meaning of winning basketball.
A lesson he hasn’t been able to grasp since he came into the league six years ago.
“I’ve done a lot of losing my whole career,’’ LaVine said last month. “I’ve been frustrated from the get-go, so I want that to change.’’
Bad news, Zach.
It likely won’t, at least not in a Bulls uniform.
Despite the fact that LaVine set career highs in almost every major category before the coronavirus put this season on hold, his team was still operating at a .338 winning percentage and had the ninth worst average point differential in the league (-3.1).
Obviously it’s not a one-man blame game and LaVine expected more help this season, but being the face of an organization is both a blessing and a curse.
The key piece in the trade for Jimmy Butler back in 2017, continued finding that out.
“I’ve been able to deal with ups and downs really well this year, like a roller coaster,’’ LaVine said recently. “I feel I’ve been able to be pretty even keeled, and just lock in and be prepared for each game.’’
That goes for off-the-court as well. Besides putting up the numbers, LaVine emerged as the go-to voice of the locker room, making himself as accessible as an NBA player can be, and not afraid to discuss any topic on the table.
It’s almost a shame that being a Bull seems to be his current fate. Does he deserve better? Definitely, and it might be coming in a few years.
The Situation: LaVine is signed through the 2021-22 season, and will hit his free-agent season as a 27-year-old, seemingly hitting his prime.
Until then, however, he has no choice but to continue to try and improve, showing the rest of the Association that he hasn’t bumped his head on his talent ceiling.
He has continued to emerge as a long-distant threat with the three-ball, and his play-making has improved, but at best he’s still a combo guard because of his turnover issues. LaVine’s athleticism is elite, but he tends to feel that he can squeeze passes into shrinking windows.
LaVine has continued to make small strides on the defensive end, especially on-the-ball, but focusing when the ball hops around still leads to problems with sticking to his man.
The Resolution: Some players are satisfied with putting up stats and collecting a huge pay day, putting winning third on that priority list. See Kevin Love’s Minnesota career. That’s not LaVine. He wants to taste the postseason for the first time in his career, and wants that big stage. Losing is wearing on him, and there will be a breaking point.
Bold Prediction: Unable to find common ground on an extension, the Bulls will trade LaVine at the deadline in February of 2022, insisting, “It’s Coby White’s team now.’’ LaVine will then sign a three-year deal with the Clippers that offseason, and start making cameos on Season 5 of S.W.A.T., appearing as Hondo’s estranged half-brother.
He’ll finally reach the playoffs.
