CHARLOTTE – The offensive rhythm will come back for Zach LaVine.
Give it time. It always does.
After all, missing more than a month of an NBA season with a sore right foot leads to some stagnant moments on that end of the floor. That’s why Billy Donovan wasn’t overly concerned.
But what actually had the Bulls coach impressed?
LaVine’s defense in the two games he’s now played in. Yes, they’ve both come against lowly Charlotte – including the 119-112 overtime win over the Hornets on Monday – but it spoke volumes about where LaVine was both physically and mentally.
NBA players that have checked out of their current location sometimes let go of the rope on that side of the ball. LaVine hasn’t.
“I thought he defended really well,” Donovan said. “That was really encouraging. The biggest thing that stood out to me was his defense.”
When asked if that gave Donovan the sense that LaVine now possibly does want to stay a Bull (17-21) after his representation made it very clear in November that they were open to the organization moving him, the coach responded, “Yeah, in my conversations with Zach – and again he’s never really talked about his future, his feelings toward the organization and the team, never anything like that – everything he’s talked about is how does he help the group, and it’s always been really positive, constructive conversations with him.
“I know there is a lot of reporting and things that were out there about what potentially may or may not happen, but my conversations with him leading into his return was he needed to come in and help the group anyway he could.”
Then again, the trade market currently wants LaVine to stay a Bull as well, evident by the ongoing silence for his services.
That’s why the franchise may have to start preparing for the very real scenario where LaVine stays with the team the entire 2023-24 campaign, and they revisit the market in the summer.
“(Executive vice president of basketball operations) Arturas (Karnisovas) has never told me for sure (LaVine’s) going to be gone,” Donovan said. “He’s never said that to me, and we do talk all the time. I know I sound like a broken record here, but he generally comes to me when there’s stuff that’s important as far as the decisions being made.
“For me I’ve always taken the approach that this is our team for the rest of the year until something changes. Because I think as a coach, if you sit around and say, ‘Well, this guy can be moved, this guy can be moved …’ Then you’re looking at, ‘Who are we getting back?‘ To me it would be just a waste of energy.”
Energy Donovan doesn’t have, and energy LaVine showed in his second game back. Yes, he only scored nine points on eight shots, but he handed out five assists, and then there was that defense, including the lockdown number he did on Terry Rozier at the end of regulation when the Charlotte guard was going for the game winner.
“Missing 17, 18 games, I don’t want to come in and force anything,” LaVine said after the win. “If I come in with the mindset to shoot open shots, push in transition, try and make a play for someone else, obviously I’ve got a track record for knowing how to put the ball in the hoop, that will come eventually, but make an impact defensively.”
The Bulls were led by Coby White’s 27 in the win, but what LaVine really liked was just five points allowed in the overtime, completely handcuffing a Charlotte offense that gave them issues most of the night.
“Just trying to take the challenge (on defense),” LaVine added. “I think that’s where we can take another step and I can too.”