Improve on the Defensive End of the Floor

So much of defense starts with attitude. Just ask LaVine’s new teammate Jabari Parker. With a honed in mindset, Zach is set for the best defensive season of his career. If his mindset is anything to go by then, a defensive improvement is definitely on the cards.

Words are just that until proven otherwise but it’s much better than the words uttered by Parker. The main takeaway is that he’s serious about becoming a more reliable defender for his team, as he told NBC Sports Chicago in the video above.

“I’m not gonna slack off from that, I hear people talk: ‘You can’t do this.’ it helps me pay more attention to it and get better. I could care less. It’s something I want to be better at, and I want to be great on both ends.”

For LaVine to become better on that end, he’s going to have to change more than his mindset. With him off the court, last season the Bulls were significantly better defensively (+6.8). He’s going to have to improve dramatically in terms of team defense to become even close to a positive on that end. In fact, across his career, he’s never been a net positive for the team when on the court. The addition of Wendell Carter and a budding backcourt chemistry with Kris Dunn should allow him to become a more positive point on that end of the floor.

LaVine still possesses above-average athleticism for his position despite the numerous injuries he’s endured along the way. If he lives up to his word and puts equal energy on both ends of the floor, he’s set for a massive boost defensive in 2018-19.

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