Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen says shooting guard Zach LaVine will remain as the team's closer moving forward.
LaVine failed to come through for the Bulls against the Utah Jazz on Thursday. He missed a contested layup with 21.7 seconds left in regulation which would have tied the game. He also got his shot blocked by Jazz center Rudy Gobert with 7.6 seconds left with the Bulls down 102-98.
Chicago wound up losing to the Jazz by that score after leading by 11 points in the third quarter.
“Yeah, I think he’s done it,” Jim Boylen said, when asked if Zach LaVine has the DNA to be an NBA finisher, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “He’s done it before. He made the play in Washington where he dropped it off for the layup. He made the and-1 against the Clippers here [in the United Center] to win the game. He’s done it, and we’re going to keep putting him in those situations, we’re going to keep believing in him.”
LaVine is averaging 23.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game for the Bulls this season. The high-flyer is shooting 42.4 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from beyond the arc and 83.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Chicago is 13-22 on the season, 10th in the Eastern Conference standings.
Boylen had a mutiny on his hands last season and he has already gotten into a little spat with LaVine after benching the guard against the Miami Heat. LaVine responded to the benching with 49 points and a game-winning shot versus the Charlotte Hornets, but it’s pretty clear Zach and Boylen have a ways to go before they are on the same page for the Bulls.
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