Report: Zach Lavine Center Of “Directed Frustration” From Teammates

The 150-126 slashing of Chicago at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves had the most storylines of the season for the Bulls, and many were circling the lack of heart from the locker room. They are not out of character for the year they’re having, and many of the veterans and coaches seemingly were directing their disappointment toward a select few players or one specific player. Combining overanalyzing and isolating quotes could’ve led one to believe that Zach Lavine was the guilty party. It turns out the premature connecting of the dots was a bullseye.

Locker Room Incident

At halftime of the meeting between the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves, the Bulls were down only six points but had given up 71 points on over 60% shooting from the field. Head coach Billy Donovan had told the media before and reiterated after the game that during timeouts and halftime, he will give the players some time alone before entering the huddle or locker room with the coaching staff. His reasoning is to give his on-court leaders a chance to speak up and lead, and on Sunday night, they did precisely that. Donovan spoke of the “lack of care” and how holding one another accountable is a part of the “compete” factor that his team has been missing as of late, and it sounds like there might’ve been more parties upset than just the head coach. According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Chicago, there was a “strong exchange” at halftime with “directed frustration” toward two-time all-star Zach Lavine.

Donovan was asked about the state of accountability inside their own walls, to which he replied that he was not present for that confrontation but that it is “healthy” and a “good thing” for his team to be doing that sort of thing. He was more passionate during the postgame interview than he has been all season, and for a good reason. Giving up a Timberwolves franchise record 150 points with a constantly lethargic defensive effort for the entirety of the game amid an 11-17 season is pathetic from a six-seed playoff team just a year ago. Lavine has been known throughout his career to be a weak defender, but given his lack of production on offense and his newly signed max contract of 215 million dollars over five years, there’s no more flying under the radar for the slumping guard.

Paying Top Dollar For Mediocrity

With this offseason’s extension, Zach Lavine became a top-16 paid player in the NBA and the most expensive player on the Bulls. Coming off of three straight seasons with over 24 points per game, on 45% or better shooting from the field and 38% or better from deep, he’s arguably having his worst season as a Bull. Only scoring 21.8 points per contest on 44% shooting overall, 36.5% from three, it’s safe to say Lavine has yet to earn his new lucrative contract. The most alarming of his on-court struggles have come during the clutch time. In the final five minutes of games within five points, Lavine has only shot 27% from the field and less than 12% from three-point territory. The Bulls are an NBA worst 3-11 during those games, and his fellow star DeMar DeRozan is leading the NBA in clutch time points.

It was only time before the locker room boiled over, and Minnesota was the last straw for Lavine. The most notable of instances came when Goran Dragic visibly threw his arms in the air following a play where Lavine took a heavily contested jump shot rather than swinging it to the open shooter Derrick Jones Jr. in the corner. When asked postgame about the Bulls’ struggles, Dragic chose to isolate that instance, saying, “if you have a good shot and you swing it, someone else is going to have a better shot.” That was the major hint that the former UCLA Bruin shooting guard was the center of the team’s frustrations.

Zach Lavine has not helped himself much during this reported drama, noticeably giving the shortest and most dismissive answers to the media during any availability. It was pretty telling that DeMar DeRozan called the blowout “beyond embarrassing,” while Lavine quickly skated the same question saying, “it’s a little embarrassing for us and the fans.” That alone clearly shows the “care” level that Donovan often refers to and the real-world application embodied by his two top talents.