Comfortable as the centerpiece acquisition from last June's Jimmy Butler trade, Zach LaVine attended summer league in July simply to support his new Bulls teammates and told everyone within earshot he'd be ready to play the season opener.
As recently as Monday, LaVine pushed to make his season debut on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
So, yeah, the Bulls guard is ready for this.
Executive vice president John Paxson said LaVine will be on a 20-minute limit when he takes the United Center court Saturday against the Pistons, his first action since tearing his left ACL last Feb. 3 while playing for the Timberwolves against the same opponent.
"I was pushing to play two months ago," LaVine said, smiling.
Paxson made clear LaVine's return is an extension of his rehabilitation process and thus will proceed on the same conservative approach that defined LaVine sitting until now. LaVine also won't play the Feb. 10 back end of the lone back-to-back set of games between now and the All-Star break.
But given that the organization originally eyed a Jan. 31 return date and LaVine's metrics testing of jumping and speed are better than when he entered the NBA in 2014, there's plenty of optimism and excitement for what's ahead.
"We're going to look at this in kind of week installments," Paxson said. "In talking with the coaches, we're not going to put him in a situation where we're saving minutes for end of games, anything like that. This is the continuation and ending of his rehab.
"He has done everything at such a top level getting back ready to play. And I know he's really anxious to ... We will re-evaluate when we get to the All-Star break. The idea will be, as we go week to week considering no setbacks and he's doing well, we'll marginally ramp up his minutes. But he needs to play. No matter what you do in practice, he needs those game minutes."
Coach Fred Hoiberg, who will meet with Paxson and associate head coach Jim Boylen on Thursday to outline LaVine's rotational usage, said he hasn't yet determined if LaVine will start initially. Ever the patient patient, LaVine is so excited to play that he doesn't care.
LaVine even joked that since it's his Bobblehead Night on Saturday, the public relations staff had this return date set all along.
"I'm going to be anxious," LaVine said. "Adrenaline is gonna be rushing. Crowd is gonna be into it. Team is gonna be loving it. It's gonna be a good feeling. You just gotta learn how to calm that and get back to playing the game you love."
LaVine has said he plans to play with the same aggressive, attacking style and downplayed the question about debuting against the team he played when injured.
Paxson and LaVine each stated the same initial goal is simply to establish rhythm. LaVine, after all, was enjoying a breakout season with the Timberwolves when injured, averaging 18.9 points on 38.7 percent 3-point shooting.
"I know the way I want to play," LaVine said. "I know it's gonna take a little time to get the rhythm back. I haven't played in 11 months. It'll be a little bit of time before I'm feeling 100 percent back, but regardless I think I can do some things.
"I still have explosion, the same athleticism, the same speed. I worked on my body. I got a little bit bigger. I shoot the ball the same way. I've been shooting the ball really good in practice. There's nothing for me to think about out there. I'm just going to play the way I always have."
Paxson said the initial minutes limit is based on sports science suggesting injuries occur more frequently with fatigue.
"The way we want to play, his ability to run the floor, space the floor with his shooting, be another playmaker with the ball, he's going to be just fine," Paxson said. "We're going to be patient with him.
"My expectations are just get him back in the flow of playing basketball. There are no expectations in terms of how he's going to play. If he misses shots, so be it. The long term is where we're coming from. It's not tomorrow. It's not next week. It's what it's all about going forward."
Hoiberg expressed excitement to utilize LaVine's offensive versatility with everyone from Kris Dunn to Lauri Markkanen to David Nwaba. Hoiberg designed offensive sets with LaVine's shooting range and ability to attack switches in pick-and-roll in mind and noted how his arrival will help pace.
"The other thing he has shown is his passing ability when he does draw two defenders," Hoiberg said.
LaVine hit all the right notes. He thanked the medical and training staffs from both the Timberwolves and Bulls _ "It was a lot of hard work, lonely nights and long days," he said _ and light-heartedly asked if any team had gone on a 40-game win streak.
"I'm a team player," he said. "I'm a winner."
For a franchise that endured the nightmare that defined the Derrick Rose torn ACL saga, this situation has a more buoyant feel.
"We've seen players go through this before. The commitment they make to get back is significant. Most people don't see what they go through," Paxson said. "He has really embraced it and took it on. I know he's excited to play. I'm sure we're going to have to rein him in with his enthusiasm. But we're happy that he's back."
