Zach LaVine’s Top-10 Dunks, DeMar DeRozan’s Role, The Paw’s Shooting, and Other Bulls Bullets

Aug 05, 2022

When a highlight package of Zach LaVine dunks are posted, you stop everything you’re doing and watch said highlight package:

Zach LaVine lives at the rim 🛫

Watch some of the back-to-back Slam Dunk Contest Champion's best jams from this past season! #NBADunkWeek pic.twitter.com/ZZzzgkmFNq— NBA (@NBA) August 4, 2022

If those are the slams we get in a year where LaVine played with a bum finger and bum knee, imagine the ones we’ll get next season! The funny thing is that, while LaVine has already proven to be one of the NBA’s best dunkers of all time, this upcoming season will arguably provide him with his best in-game dunking environment yet. Combine his newfound health with the bolstered roster around him, and the man should be able to feast at the rim. We already know Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso can effortlessly turn defense into offense, which will continue to set up easy transition buckets. Not to mention, the playmaking-IQ of this group should be able to take full advantage of LaVine’s cutting skills, which remain among the best in the league.

Indeed, it’s scary to think LaVine can look even better scoring the basketball. Playing alongside guys like DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic means a more distracted defense. And, even when the opponents do prioritize LaVine, he’s already proven to be rather elite at hitting contested buckets. His 54.0 effective field percentage when tightly covered (defender within 2-4 feet, per NBA Stats) sat 4th-best this season among guards who took at least 5.0 tightly contested shots per game.

While I know DeRozan finished as the NBA’s second-leading scorer this season, I do expect LaVine to regain his spot as the Bulls’ top bucket-getter this season. A lot of what we saw from DeRozan last season felt tied to circumstance. The injury trouble certainly pulled head coach Billy Donovan away from playing the brand of basketball he wanted – one that best suited LaVine’s skillset. With the man healthy again, I expect the Bulls to return to that fast-paced play and ask DeRozan to fill more of the facilitating role he honed during his time in San Antonio. To be sure, DeRozan will still get his fair share of scoring opportunities (the two will likely be staggered and DeRozan will have free reign with the second unit), but I anticipate the Bulls’ max player will rise back to the top.

This is pretty weird, especially since half of the clips are from previous seasons.

In honor of us opening our preseason against the Bulls, here's some of our best plays against… the Bulls 🫣 pic.twitter.com/9GwsU28mcN— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) August 4, 2022

According to Zoomph, a company that provides data analytics for brands, the Chicago Bulls have the 20th-most followers among all sports franchises on Twitter. The fandom stretches far and wide, folks.

Introducing… The 100 Most Followed Sports Franchises on Twitter 🏆

Total Breakdown by Sport:
⚽️ 3⃣1⃣
🏀 2⃣3⃣
🏈 2⃣0⃣
⚾️ 1⃣1⃣
🏎️ 8⃣
🏒 7⃣ pic.twitter.com/nHLbOFZNoV
— Zoomph (@Zoomph) August 3, 2022

If you want a great read on Patrick Williams, look no further than Jackson Frank’s latest.

Wrote about Patrick Williams, who I think is in a good spot to capably fill a critical role for the Bulls in Year 3.

On his offensive allure, defensive prowess and the key steps forward on both ends: https://t.co/Q5qowZu7xC— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) August 3, 2022

Something tremendously important that Frank touches on is Patrick Williams’ 3-point shooting. I’ve mentioned numerous times that his long-range shooting stroke has far exceeded expectations with a 41.3 percent career clip. The problem with that, though, is we’re talking about pretty small sample size. To be sure, Williams has found himself in opportunities to take more shots from downtown, but he’s consistently passed them up for mid-range attempts or running push shots around the rim. The fact of the matter is that he’s going to receive a handful of catch-and-shoot looks in this offense, and the Bulls simply need him to chuck them up. Not only will this allow them to see how true his efficiency really is, but the Bulls averaged the fewest 3PAs per game last season. They need to shoot more.

Has anyone ever looked this cool playing basketball? I’ll wait.

2 minutes of MJ doing the most insane shit ever.pic.twitter.com/q3ClhWye8v
— Overtime (@overtime) August 4, 2022

Good. Builds character.

Jayson Tatum REJECTS his son Deuce 😂

🎥 @justlobs pic.twitter.com/6oRgUc49MY
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 5, 2022

Stacey King and Co. brought on a big guest this week!

Chicago native & Class of ‘22 Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway is our special guest on a brand new episode of Gimme the Hot Sauce! Great stories about Jordan’s trash talking, Run TMC, why he went to UTEP & a whole lot more! Here’s the link to the YouTube show: https://t.co/KS7hFhSNlc pic.twitter.com/MLusqFxZCH— Mark Schanowski (@MarkSchanowski) August 5, 2022

A late-offseason addition for the Bears.

Illinois State Product Davontae Harris to Sign With the Bearshttps://t.co/rXuSVgq6e8
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) August 5, 2022

Hey, that’s new!

Chicago Cubs Lineup: Chris Morel Starts at Shortstophttps://t.co/xnobVRusWr pic.twitter.com/PVkO7J0yoS
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 5, 2022

written by

Elias Schuster

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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