Bulls Keep Losing, LaVine Keeps Scoring, Markkanen Keeps Hurting, and Other Bulls Bullets

Bulls basketball isn’t the only sloppy and cold thing hitting the Chicagoland area this weekend. The weather is looking a bit rough right now, so if you’re out and about, stay safe!

  • Gotta lead with highlights of Zach LaVine doing Zach LaVine things:
  • https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1215853087610396674?s=20

  • The more LaVine keeps scoring, the higher he moves up in the Bulls all-time rankings. He’s now 4th in 40-point games behind only Bob Love, Michael Jordan, and Jimmy Butler. And as for his hot-hand, he’s now only the second player in a Bulls uniform to have multiple games in one season with 8+ 3-pointers.
  • LaVine is averaging 24.4 points per game on 43.6 percent shooting from the field and 40.1 percent from downtown. In my opinion, that’s All-Star-worthy. I wrote this last night in our postgame, but I think I’ve seen enough from LaVine to believe he’s doing everything he can to help this team win. Last season, it became fair at times to question his bucket-hunting and stat-padding, but this season, he’s single-handedly giving this team a chance to win games night in and night out. I don’t think it’s his fault the Bulls can’t close. If he doesn’t make the All-Star roster, I’m not going to be striking outside the United Center, but he’s proven a bit more to me lately than he has in the past.
  • Also, before Zach LaVine-haters come at me, let me also clarify that I (1) still strongly don’t believe he is suited to be a No. 1 player on a team, (2) think his defense is still bad, (3) wouldn’t be gutted to see the Bulls move on from him at some point, and (4) believe he hasn’t proven to be a “winning player” despite how hard he’s tried. I think all of those can be true while also appreciating what he’s doing for this team at the moment.
  • Dwyane Wade has LaVine’s back.
  • According to Cody Westerlund, LaVine hung around with the media until a team official said it was time to leave and catch their flight.
  • Markkanen has been battling a sore ankle over these last couple of games, and Boylen is praising his ability to fight through it.
  • I understand wanting to build a “tough” culture, but I can’t say I want guys playing repeatedly if they’re hurt. I have to wonder if a game off would allow Markkanen to have a quicker recovery. We saw him struggle mightily at the beginning of the season and there were rumors of a lingering sore oblique playing a role in that poor play. Last night he resorted back his familiar beginning-of-the-season self, shooting only nine times, which marked his first outing with single-digit shot attempts in 10 games. If Markkanen’s playing poorly while banged-up, the Bulls could risk losing his confidence again. I don’t want to see that.
  • The Bulls might be on a six-game losing streak, but Coby White is playing some solid basketball again. Other than LaVine, White looked like the only other player who showed up to Bankers Life Fieldhouse last night. He knocked down five 3’s en route to a 23-point night. He has his fair share of off nights, but he continues to show enough flashes to be excited about his future.
  • Fact: Wendell Carter Jr. makes or breaks this Bulls defense.
  • I was going to write some thoughts, but this sums up things well.
  • But but but they’re battling!
  • That makes two of us.
  • written by

    Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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