The Chicago Bulls have had a very tumultuous start to the season as they've tried to manage Zach LaVine and his lingering knee injury. He's missed three of their first seven games with Chicago going 3-4 in that span. With a marquee matchup agains the Brooklyn Nets slated on Tuesday night, the question remains – will LaVine suit up?
Is Zach LaVine Playing vs Nets
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Zach LaVine will be active for the Bulls' showdown against the Nets. He will, however, miss the second night of their Eastern Conference back-to-back as they take on the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
Bulls star Zach LaVine, listed questionable, is expected to play tonight vs. Nets on TNT, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. LaVine (averaging 22.3 PPG) would then sit Wednesday’s game vs. Hornets as he and the team manage his knee during early part of season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 1, 2022
It's no surprise to see the Bulls take the cautious approach with their young star. DeMar DeRozan may have arguably taken the mantle as their best player last season, but Zach LaVine is their franchise player of the future. At just 27 years of age, he's right in the midst of his prime and just signed a massive $215 million contract to stay in Chicago. There's no reason to place any serious pressure on him to perform this early in the season.
LaVine had surgery to repair a knee issue last May, one that was diagnosed in as early as January of this year. While playing himself back into shape, the Bulls star has been a step slow thus far in his four games on the court. It's a minuscule sample size, but his 22.5 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting aren't the peak Zach LaVine that Bulls fans are used to seeing.
He may not be playing at his best now, but Chicago is hoping their careful approach will yield to better results when the games start to matter even more in the second half of the season.
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