At the beginning of the season, the Chicago Bulls were one of the NBA’s most disappointing teams. They played 19 matches and only brought home 5 victories.

However, after the above period of time, the Chicago Bulls suddenly changed in the last 4 matches. They won all four matches and are gradually approaching the group participating in the Play-In round. The common point in all those victories is that the Chicago Bulls do not have the services of Zach LaVine in the lineup.

The Shams Charania, reputable journalist for The Athletic, said that Zach LaVine suffered an injury related to foot tendinitis and will have to rest until mid-January 2024.

In such a context, the fact that Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls “go their separate ways” is more and more likely than ever. In early November, there was a rumor that Zach LaVine expressed his desire to be traded from the Chicago Bulls. By still playing well despite the absence of one of their biggest stars, the Chicago Bulls may consider pushing this player away and prepare for a process of rebuilding the squad after many years of not being able to touch it. championship.

The NBC Sports Chicago, the team itself is also considering the idea of letting Zach LaVine leave right before the NBA transfer deadline officially closes in February. Even other key players like Alex Caruso or DeMar DeRozan may also have to leave to make room for a rebuilding period at the United Center.

In the article below, The Sporting News will analyze why the Chicago Bulls might think about the prospect of parting ways with Zach LaVine, especially in the context that they are still playing well without the 28-year-old star in the squad.

Zach LaVine is having a decline in performance on the Chicago Bulls’ offensive line

Since making the All-Star team for the first time in the 2020/21 season, Zach LaVine has developed himself into one of the best offensive players in the NBA. He is capable of shooting at many positions, as well as being a reliable shooter at the 3-point line. Not only that, Zach LaVine always knows how to create his own space.

In the 2023/24 season, Zach LaVine is somewhat losing form compared to previous years. The parameters show that Zach LaVine is gradually becoming ineffective, despite still averaging 21 points this season.

In fact, Zach LaVine still has explosive games, like scoring 51 points in just 33 shots against the Orlando Magic. But overall, Zach LaVine has gone down a lot compared to previous seasons.

Zach LaVine’s poor defense

Even though he is an offensive star, Zach LaVine has never been considered a good defensive player. Although there has been improvement in recent years, LaVine’s defense still falls short of league average.

There are many speculations about this, especially that Zach LaVine has the mindset of abandoning defense to focus on the offensive front. He often gets passed and rarely takes the trouble to get close to win the ball back. The situation allowing Pascal Siakam to easily pass and receive the ball under the basket is a typical example.

The fact that the Chicago Bulls have a poor defense this season is due in no small part to the way Zach LaVine plays. According to statistics, the Chicago Bulls have the 20th best defense in the entire NBA, much lower than their 5th place last season.

There is a more interesting statistic, which is that the Chicago Bulls suddenly became one of the five best defensive teams in the NBA in the last 4 matches. Those were also the 4 games that Zach LaVine missed due to injury and this was a strange coincidence. In those matches, their defense played more cohesively and revealed less space than usual.

The Chicago Bulls move the ball better without Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine is a player with excellent offensive skills, but that doesn’t mean he brings smoothness and chemistry to the Chicago Bulls’ offense. He is not a good player without the ball, not the type to contribute to the play, but his 1-1 playing skills are what have made LaVine’s brand over the years.

According to statistics, Zach LaVine has an average of 20 independent combat situations per match and rarely passes to teammates, even when in a difficult throwing position. He averaged 3.4 assists per game, below the average for defenders in the NBA and the second lowest in his seven years with the Chicago Bulls. Sometimes, teammates are forced to stand apart in the corners of the field to open up space for LaVine’s independent combat situations.

When LaVine is available, the Chicago Bulls often only create one or two support lines to give attacking players an advantage over physically disadvantaged players to break through. After that, the players must improvise options to create a scoring situation.

However, sometimes Zach LaVine does not take advantage of that support, but decides to rely on a more difficult playing situation. The video below is an example, when LaVine does not take advantage of his teammate’s support wall, breaking through to the basket in the opposite direction, which can be followed more closely by the opponent because he is not entangled with the blocking wall.

This is not uncommon in offensive situations where Zach LaVine is the receiver. He puts himself in a more difficult position to score points, rarely passing the ball or taking advantage of other factors to create an advantage.

In recent matches, the Chicago Bulls’ attack ability suddenly became smoother than usual. In the example below, they continuously create support situations at the top of the trapezoid and circulate the ball continuously to find space. The players receiving the ball also take full advantage of this to get an empty shot in front of the backboard.

The statistics reflect that, when the Chicago Bulls have an average of 28.7 assists after the last 4 matches, compared to 21.9 assists in 19 matches with the presence of Zach LaVine. These statistics clearly show that the Chicago Bulls play more as a team and are no longer dependent on Zach LaVine’s ability to score points on each ball.

Not only that, forcing Zach LaVine into a different role is impossible. This player is very bad at running without the ball and has never been appreciated if placed in a pure role of receiving the ball and then shooting 3s. In another statistic, Zach LaVine is the player who combines with the least supporter on the entire Chicago Bulls roster.

Zach LaVine’s value in the transfer market

The biggest question for the Chicago Bulls is how they will value Zach LaVine if they accept to bring him to the transfer market. This will be a big problem, because the Bulls’ future will depend on what they get in return after the Zach LaVine deal.

Zach LaVine is definitely not the type of player who can lead a team to victory. He is just a pure offensive player and irresponsible in defense. LaVine is a “ball-consuming” player who is picky about the system and only really shines if he plays in a key scoring role, as well as needing a strong support scheme to cover up his shortcomings. Not only that, LaVine also has a 4-year contract, worth $175 million until the summer of 2027. Most importantly, Zach LaVine is a player who is sensitive to injury.

All of these things make LaVine not a “too hot” player if brought to the transfer market. Teams with existing superstars will not want to have another player like that in their squad. While teams are in the process of rebuilding, they will not risk accepting a player with a high salary and 4 years left.

In the NBA, there are rarely any teams willing to build a system just to serve one player, unless he is extremely excellent. The case of Isaiah Thomas, a player who is good at offense and poor at defense during the years 2015 to 2017 at the Boston Celtics, is not much. Not to mention, these teams often cannot bring the Chicago Bulls the value they desire if they make a trade for Zach LaVine.

Despite all that, Zach LaVine is still a player with quite an impressive offensive skill set in the NBA. This will still be the biggest value for any team looking to upgrade their attack for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.