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Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls were one of the pleasant surprises in the NBA last season. The hope was that Chicago could build off that and take another step forward this year.
Chicago is coming off a 46-36 season, an improvement of 15 wins from 2020-21. The Bulls were near the top of the Eastern Conference standings for the majority of the year until a string of nagging injuries to key players down the final stretch.
Fast forward to this season, and the Bulls have taken a step in the wrong direction. Chicago (12-18) has won just one of its last five games. The Bulls are set to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
Speculation has started to swirl around the franchise. Some have wondered if the team might need to hit the reset button and move some players. One of those players mentioned includes superstar guard Zach LaVine.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Chicago Bulls and LaVine are not seeing "eye-to-eye." On FanDuel TV's "Run It Back," Charania said:
"They've been managing a disconnect on the court between Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. They've had team meetings set up. They've set up one-on-ones with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine to try to figure out how these two guys can help this team win.
"They've been managing this situation all year. They both personally like each other, but when you're not successful on the court and you're not getting any chemistry, it leads to this. I'm told the Bulls and Zach LaVine right now are just not seeing eye-to-eye."
Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls struggling to get back on track
Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls were firing on all cylinders during the 2021-22 season until injuries prevented Chicago from making a real push in the playoffs.
As Charania brought up, the injury to star point guard Lonzo Ball has had a ripple effect on the Bulls. Ball was the floor general who understood how to put his teammates in a position to succeed. Ball is still dealing with a knee injury, and there are doubts about him returning this season.
With Ball out of the lineup, both LaVine and DeRozan have had to run the show offensively. On paper, the talented duo is still having strong years. DeRozan is averaging 25.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 50.7%. LaVine is averaging 21.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 4.2 apg while shooting 44.5%.
Time will tell if the Chicago Bulls can get back on track. With February's NBA trade deadline inching closer, the Bulls will be a team that the rest of the league monitors closely. LaVine has four more years on his contract, including a player option for the 2026-27 season at $48.9 million.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
