One of the most contentious plot lines of the current NBA season has been the degree to which observers have denied Zach LaVine credit for his improved offensive performance with the Chicago Bulls.
Despite averaging a stat line of 29.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists–with efficiency numbers that place him in the 86th percentile in the league, according to Synergy Sports–LaVine is often dismissed as a player putting up good numbers on a bad team. While it's true that the Bulls are far from contenders, even if they are significantly better than most thought they would be entering the season, the implication that LaVine is simply producing empty calories is not.
Consider the aforementioned efficiency numbers. As the “Bulls Gold” Twitter feed pointed out earlier this month, LaVine's offensive performance doesn't just measure up to league leaders this season but has the potential to be one of the most efficient, high-volume scoring outputs of all time. Should LaVine continue his torrid pace, the guard would become only the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 25 points while shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from behind the arc, 85 percent from the free throw line, all while boasting a 60 percent true shoot shooting mark. Not only would those numbers place him alongside the likes of Kevin Durant and Larry Bird, but they would represent definitive proof that LaVine had arrived as a bona fide star in the league.
Perhaps just as importantly, however, has been the guard's contributions to Chicago's progress towards becoming a winning team. In ranking 15th in the NBA in offensive win-shares–tied with Luka Doncic and just ahead of LeBron James–LaVine has elevated the Bulls from a likely spot near the bottom of the East's standings to a team currently slated to appear in the “play-in” tournament for the postseason.
Even on the defensive side of things, LaVine has shown genuine improvement towards becoming at least league average. While he can still get lost off the ball, routinely rotating into picks and failing to anticipate what the offense is trying to do, the guard has tightened the screws on his closeouts and is less inclined to rely on his athleticism to steal the ball–which mostly resulted in him being out of position n the past. Though he may never qualify for an All-Defense team, the guard's effort at least ensures he doesn't harm the Bulls on that side of the court and further enhances the effect his scoring has on a game's outcome.
While LaVine could struggle to get a nod for a spot in the All-Star team's reserve unit, the reality is that his performance this season has been indicative of a player who should have qualified as a starter rather than a fringe add-on. Though the media narrative has fallen behind his play, thanks to the inconsistency of the Bulls roster and their lackluster win total, Chicago may finally be on the precipice of building a consistent winner under the leadership of Arturas Karnisovas. If they do, the rest of the league may finally awake to their lead guard's burgeoning talent.
Zach LaVine isn't just showing he's an All-Star, but a league MVP in the making.
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