The Chicago Bulls collectively heaved a sigh of relief upon learning that Zach LaVine escaped a major injury on his left knee. There is still no definite timeline for his return, but reports already said he's not expected to miss a lot of games.

It's no secret that LaVine has been one of the drivers of the Bulls' surge this season. Ever since the high-flying guard was brought to the Windy City in 2017, he has been tagged as the team's savior. So far, he has delivered.

In a story by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf opened up LaVine and how the team's decision-makers made an effort to help the former UCLA standout.

“Zach had been on some bad teams, and just like it wasn't Devin Booker's fault in Phoenix for those years, it wasn't Zach's fault here. We needed to get him help. (Coach) Billy (Donovan), (vice president of basketball operations) Arturas Karnisovas, and (general manager) Marc Eversley spend a lot of time with our players. These aren't assets, these are people. But especially with Zach, they took time to understand what he is all about. It was easy for people on the outside to say, ‘Oh, he's just a scorer and he doesn't care.' But these guys knew better about Zach because they spend time and get beyond the basketball with him.”

Comparing LaVine to Booker is fair. Booker also endured forgettable stints with the Phoenix Suns before making the NBA Finals. The trajectory of LaVine is quite similar. He has continued to improve his numbers, earning his first All-Star berth last season, and the Bulls have definitely benefited.

The Bulls continue to lead the Eastern Conference and if LaVine sustains his high level, it won't be long until they make it to the NBA Finals as well.