UCLA Basketball: Writer Believes Ex-Bruin Must Improve Following Down Season
Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal believes that, despite his two All-Star appearances and his sparkling $40.1 million salary for the 2023-24 NBA season, former UCLA Bruins shooting guard Zach LaVine still has a lot to prove this year.
The Chicago Bull enters his 10th campaign and 7th in the Windy City, where he's broken out as a truly elite offensive player.
The Seattle native has averaged 23.7 points or more in 5 of his 6 campaigns thus far in Chicago, with the one exception being his first season with the Bulls which was half of a year after he had been dealt there in the 2017-2018 campaign in a package for Jimmy Butler.
LaVine (14) as a member of the Bruins.
So just looking at LaVine's excellent scoring numbers and correspondingly elite efficiency (at least up until last season), you'd wonder why he'd end up on Fromal's list of "players with the most to prove."
Well, per Fromal:
Regressing as a passer and failing to assert yourself on defense isn't an ideal combination, but that's what happened to Zach LaVine last year as he ended his two-season string of All-Star appearances. More importantly, the uber-athletic guard has made the playoffs just once in nine seasons, and that experience ended one round into the '22 tourney.
To put it bluntly, Fromal is right. LaVine has struggled to produce "winning" numbers throughout his time in Chicago.
Despite being a terrific and highly efficient scorer, LaVine has simultaneously been a poor defender and passer, not always equating to "winning basketball."
It doesn't help that the rosters around the former Bruin have been awful, as either the personnel, roster construction, coaching, depth, or shooting have been bad, and at no point has he had the necessary pieces around him to alleviate offensive stress and open the door to a deeper playoff run (outside of the brief period where Lonzo was healthy in the 2021-2022 season).
As LaVine, 28, continues to get older, he'll probably slow down a bit athletically. As a result, the possibility that he regresses as a scorer is real, making him improving at other facets of the game that much more important.
Normally, players don't suddenly get better at their weaknesses at 28, but maybe LaVine can do that. Alternatively, he's been a subject of trade talks, and there's a chance he's dealt somewhere better suited for his skillset than a Chicago team that really needs to rebuild.
Don't forget to join our community at LA Sports Report, where we celebrate all things Bruins!
