Zach LaVine will likely reclaim his spot in the starting lineup when the Chicago Bulls face the Washington Wizards on Friday night on the road.
LaVine returned to action on Wednesday night after missing the last five games due to an ankle injury. The 23-year-old forward came off the bench, but he immediately made an impact for Chicago.
The former UCLA standout ended up with 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the field in 26 minutes. LaVine showed he is healthy and ready to start again, and his performance did not go unnoticed.
According to Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score, Bulls head coach Jim Boylen praised LaVine. The rookie head coach said that he will likely start the fifth-year guard in their next game after how good he looked in his return from a five-game hiatus:
Zach LaVine will likely start the #Bulls' next game, Jim Boylen says. "I thought he looked good," Boylen adds. LaVine had 28 points off the bench in his first game back from an ankle sprain.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) December 27, 2018
LaVine is Chicago's leading scorer, averaging 23.9 points per game this season. He is also tallying 4.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field.
There were questions about his availability leading up to Wednesday's game, but LaVine immediately showed out off the bench:
Zach LaVine has 14 PTS in the 2nd quarter alone!
Watch the @chicagobulls on #NBA League Pass: https://t.co/L3VurkatG8 pic.twitter.com/0N7GrE09Se
— NBA (@NBA) December 27, 2018
LaVine also showed that his ankles are healthy enough for him to make acrobatic moves:
Zach LaVine having himself a game. That's 26 after this athletic finish
Stream the 4th: https://t.co/8WhXO12Awb pic.twitter.com/Ljonm3wCrz
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) December 27, 2018
With LaVine set to return to the starting lineup, Ryan Arcidiacono will return to the bench while Kris Dunn remains the starting point guard.
Despite the huge game from LaVine, the Bulls ended up absorbing a 119-94 loss to the Timberwolves. The Bulls hold a measly 9-26 record, which is the second-worst record in the league next to Cleveland Cavaliers' 8-27 card.