Zach LaVine’s first NBA playoff experience probably didn’t go the way he expected or wanted. In five short games, most of which resulted in blowouts, LaVine and the Chicago Bulls were ousted by the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Despite initial appearances, this series doesn’t prove that Chicago was a fake Cinderella story or that the team is farther away from true contention than expected. Rather, the Bulls entered the postseason severely stricken with injuries and exited even more so.
Chicago was without starting point guard, Lonzo Ball, for the entirety of their first-round and played their final game without LaVine and Alex Caruso. Ball and Caruso made up the heart of the Bulls’ defense, and Chicago struggled to contain Giannis without their pair of high-energy perimeter stoppers.
The Chicago Bulls do need to make some major changes to their roster construction, though, and the Bucks exposed their various needs including a true rim protector, wing depth, and a steady playmaker. With Lonzo sidelined, DeMar DeRozan was the only table-setter left for the Bulls and Milwaukee was able to stifle his effectiveness by loading up on him on defense.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Stars Bulls’ Zach LaVine Should Look To Team Up With In Free Agency
Part of the conversation about their future roster plans has to include whether or not they plan to max out Zach LaVine. At times, he looks every part of a max player, scoring with ease from every spot on the floor and hitting ridiculous shots to save possessions.
At other times, especially on defense, his flaws outshine his contributions and the question lingers if he can be a top option on a championship-caliber team.
In his first and only playoff series of his career thus far, he was held to just 19.3 points on 43 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent from deep. That’s more indicative of a third option on a title contender than a second.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Stars Bulls’ Zach LaVine Should Look To Team Up With In Free Agency
Maxing out Zach LaVine is a tricky question. On the one hand, it would severely limit Chicago’s financial flexibility and their ability to add talent around DeMar DeRozan and improve the roster. On the other, they’ll be hard-pressed to replace his production through any other means.
Chicago will be able to pay LaVine more money than any other team in free agency this summer, so more likely than not, he’ll be signing his next contract in the Windy City. There’s a chance that the Bulls opt to sign and trade him to one of his suitors and try to compound talent that way.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Stars Bulls’ Zach LaVine Should Look To Team Up With In Free Agency
With the way things are looking currently, though, it makes the most financial and basketball sense to run it back around the core they’ve built and try to upgrade along the margins, including counting on some internal development from Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu.
After all, perhaps a healthy Chicago Bulls team plus a free agent rim protector will be enough to establish them as true contenders. If not, they can always trade Zach LaVine if things go south.
