Chicago Bulls president of basketball operations (our favorite person) John Paxson announced Tuesday that Zach LaVine will finally make his Chicago Bulls debut Saturday against the Detroit Pistons.
Zach LaVine Return Official
According to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, LaVine will initially be restricted to 20 minutes per game. LaVine has yet to play this season after suffering a torn ACL in February of last year while a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Bulls acquired LaVine along with Kris Dunn and the rights to Lauri Markkanen in the draft day trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the T’Wolves. LaVine was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft out of UCLA, and has made significant improvements in each of his three seasons in Minnesota– making him a hopeful cornerstone for a rebuilding Bulls franchise and the centerpiece of the trade with Minnesota.
During the 2016-17 campaign, LaVine averaged a career-high 18.9 points per game in 47 contests along with 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists. The 22-year-old also shot a career-best 45.9 percent from the floor and made 2.6 three-point field goals per game.
While LaVine will play a supporting role at first, he seems a likely candidate to usurp Justin Holiday as the starter at shooting guard alongside fellow Minnesota transplant, Dunn. LaVine is also the most recent NBA star to be signed by Adidas, with plans to market him as the new face of the brand along with his new shoes in the very near future.
Although Chicago is just 14-27 this season, it owns a record of 11-7 in its past 18 games, which has coincided with the return of forward Nikola Mirotic from injury. However, reports have been gaining steam today that Mirotic will likely be dealt by the Feb. 8th trade deadline, with Utah, Portland, and Detroit showing interest.
Despite that record, with Mirotic, Dunn, Lauri Markkanen, Bobby Portis, Denzel Valentine, Jerian Grant and LaVine all 26 or younger, the Bulls have one of the most talented young cores in the NBA.
