#4 Zach LaVine – Chicago Bulls
2020-21 Stats: 27.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.9 APG, 0.8 STL, 50.7 FG%, 41.9 3P%
The Chicago Bulls were big winners of the offseason this summer by bringing in Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, but they are also a team to watch in the Eastern Conference because of Zach LaVine.
Not only did the high-flying guard get named to his first All-Star game during the 2020-21 season, but LaVine is also coming off a year in which he averaged career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, three-point shooting percentage and so much more.
No matter how you look at Zach LaVine’s 2020-21 campaign, it is clear to see he had a remarkable year and at 26-years-old, he’s only going to continue getting better. LaVine has been in Chicago for four seasons now, improving each year he has been there, but finally, he has a ton of other talented players around him.
Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, Coby White, and Patrick Williams will all take pressure and attention off of Zach LaVine given that they are all fairly high-level talents, giving LaVine everything he needs to have another career year.
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The Bulls could make the playoffs for the first time in five seasons this upcoming year and their “go-to” guy is Zach LaVine, setting him up for another All-Star-like season.
#3 Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns
2020-21 Stats: 25.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.3 APG, 0.8 STL, 484. FG%, 34.0 3P%
Chris Paul coming to Phoenix last offseason was not only the best thing that happened to this Suns organization in a while, but it was probably the best thing to happen to Devin Booker’s career.
The young guard has always been known to be a terrific scorer in Phoenix, but they have always been a team that has contended for the last-place spot in the league. In his first season with the Suns, Chris Paul took them to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993 and he also helped Devin Booker become an All-Star shooting guard.
Last season, Booker quickly transitioned from being a high-level scoring threat to being one of the most dangerous players in the league with the ball in his hands. His mid-range scoring abilities are as high as any other player in the league and good luck stopping him as he drives down the lane because Devin Booker is a lot stronger than he appears to be.
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Devin Booker averaged 25.6 points per game last season, but he only did so while shooting 34% from deep. Only 12 other players in the NBA averaged more points than Booker last season and just two of them shot below 34% from three-point range.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old shooting guard is set to begin his 7th year in the NBA and with Chris Paul next to him, there are no limits to what Book can achieve in this league. He was instrumental in the Suns making the NBA Finals and if he improves his numbers over the course of the 2021-22 season, Phoenix may very well end up back in the NBA Finals with another chance to win a title.
