The Bulls have someone doing something … it’s just not exactly the thing you’d expect that someone to be doing (that’s a whole lot of pronouns): Zach LaVine has reportedly committed to the … 3-point contest?
After it looked like the Bulls might fail to have a single representative at All-Star Weekend despite hosting the festivities in Chicago, it’s better than nothing (I guess), but it’s still pretty odd given his skillset:
Bulls guard Zach LaVine will participate in the NBA three-point contest at All-Star Weekend in Chicago, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2020
Again, unfortunatly, it’s not the Slam Dunk Contest, but LaVine did comment previously that he’d be more interested in participating in the 3-point contest if given the opportunity (and, hey, maybe he still will do the dunk contest! It hasn’t been completely ruled out yet).
In fact, according to NBC Sports K.C. Johnson, he’s also expressed interest in becoming the first player to win both contests.
LaVine, a 2-time slam dunk winner, has said publicly he has been intrigued by chance to be first player to win both contests. LaVine won 2015 and 2016 slam dunk titles. Now goes for 2020 3-point title.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 4, 2020
Obviously, LaVine is extremely well-known for his dunking-prowess, and is … decidedly less known for his three-point abilities. In fact, at 37.6% from behind the arc on the season, LaVine ranks 126th in the NBA (63rd in the East) among all three-point shooters with at least 40-games played this year. And he’s second on his own team, behind Ryan Arcidiacono (39.8%).
So his decision to participate here is questionable at best, especially when he’s so freaking good at dunk contests, but what are you gonna do? The guy has something to prove. Hopefully, we’ll soon find out he’s also doing the dunk contest, but for now, at least we’ve got something to look forward to during All-Star Weekend … in Chicago.