Zach LaVine bet on himself this past season and it paid off — literally.
The two-time All-Star signed a five-year max contract to remain in Chicago this offseason with plans to help the Bulls advance past the first-round next season.
In HoopHype’s latest NBA rankings, LaVine landed at No. 4 on their Top 25 Shooting Guard list.
Frank Urbina of HoopsHype explains:
LaVine had a great individual season, too, albeit one that saw him drop off production-wise just a bit from the year prior. Still, LaVine’s numbers were impressive, with averages of 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game on 47.6/38.9/85.3 shooting splits.
A proven All-Star shooting guard at this point, LaVine has shown that he can score from all three levels using a solid jumper and spectacular athleticism to go with improved ball-handling, well as rebound and create for teammates.
Like with Beal, though, the question remains: How far can your team go with LaVine go as the top guy? We may get a better idea of that in 2022-23, provided his backcourt partners can remain healthy.
Urbina is right; how far can a team go with LaVine as one of your top two guys? With DeMar DeRozan alongside him, the Bulls have one of the top duos in the league, but is that enough to get Chicago over the hump?
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