How Much Will We See LaVine? The Benefits of Continuity, Vooch vs. Bam, and Other Bulls Bullets

Oct 20, 2022

Who needs Zach LaVine, amirite!?

Let the record show that I (Elias E. Schuster) am using sarcasm and very much still believe the Chicago Bulls desperately need a healthy Zach LaVine. Thank you.

If the Chicago Bulls can play that well against the reigning No. 1 seed in the East without their max player, it only has me that much more optimistic about what this core can accomplish in Year 2. But we can’t get ahead of ourselves just yet. LaVine’s situation remains gulp-inducing, especially after head coach Billy Donovan wasn’t able to provide much detail before last night’s game. While it at least appears as if LaVine will be able to suit up in front of home fans on Saturday, how frequently he’ll need to take the night off is a question we simply don’t have the answer to right now.

Zach LaVine will workout today at Georgetown, but since back-to-backs are off the table for now, expect his season debut to come Saturday in the home opener against Cleveland. Nothing official from Billy Donovan, however.— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) October 20, 2022

If one thing is for sure, back-to-backs likely aren’t on the table. As annoying as that is when we consider how important LaVine is to this team’s present and future, it’s at least a far less concerning decision than taking off the home opener after 10 days of rest. Indeed, I think we all should have anticipated the Bulls to have some kind of load management for LaVine after his offseason knee surgery, and the most obvious time to do that would be during back-to-back sets.

Unfortunately, the Bulls’ schedule happens to be frontloaded with those matchups, which means we might continue to see very little of LaVine over the next couple of weeks (regardless of whether he’s experiencing current knee problems or not).

#Bulls have 4 back-to-back sets in the first 19 days of their regular season.

So even if Zach LaVine's left knee starts feeling good/normal soon, he could miss 5 of their first 12 games.

After their back-to-back on Nov. 6-7, Bulls don't have another one until Dec. 10-11.— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) October 20, 2022

While we’re on the topic of injury trouble, we should keep an eye on Darius Garland over the next 24 hours. The Cavaliers’ All-Star guard suffered an eye injury during Friday’s loss to the Raptors, and it’s left his status for Chicago’s home opener up in the air:

Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff says Darius Garland has a laceration under his left eyelid that caused some bleeding, but didn't have an update on how long he may be out. Cleveland's next game is Saturday in Chicago.— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 20, 2022

Is it fair to say that last night we saw the benefits of continuity? Despite the absence of the team’s best player, the Bulls played smart, disciplined, and physical basketball against an organization that has built a brand around doing just that. Not only did they look like a group out to prove their worth, but they looked like a roster that understood how to play off each other’s strengths. The fact of the matter is that last year’s team doesn’t win that game (hence their 0-4 record against Miami), and I big reason for that was their lack of familiarity.

Indeed, the way this team was able to build momentum throughout the game was incredibly encouraging. Slowly but surely we saw the offensive identity Billy Donovan preached about during training camp come into play, as the Bulls pushed the pace in transition and kept the ball moving from side to side in the halfcourt. While DeMar DeRozan played tremendous basketball, it was the Bulls’ ability to keep the opposing defense on their toes with off-ball movement and quick-trigger passing. Not to mention, their defensive execution was arguably as strong as we have seen it without Lonzo Ball on the floor.

But, of course, I do need to dedicate at least one bullet point to the greatness of DeMar DeRozan. If you told DeRozan he couldn’t time travel, he would go back in time, ask your mother out, and make sure you were never born. All this man does is shut people up, and he did it again last night with an absurd 37-point performance on 14-22 shooting. For all those who thought there was no way he could replicate last year’s positive impact, think again.

DeMar DeRozan Quickly Silences the Doubters (…Again)https://t.co/5eOVaA0tHY pic.twitter.com/1wv8c5foSO
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) October 20, 2022

Say it louder for the people in the back, Ricky!!!

DeMar DeRozan is the No. 48 highest paid player in the NBA this year. He is on the most team-friendly non-rookie contract in the league.
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) October 20, 2022

The Bulls probably still don’t get enough respect for the roster they built. While there is no question that there are areas to be concerned about, it’s not every day that you get three multi-time All-Stars in the starting lineup.

Season leaders so far:

PTS — DeRozan
REB — Vucevic
AST — Trae
STL — Dejounte
BLK — Durant, Collins
3P — Bojan, Huerter
FT — Jimmy pic.twitter.com/MuIXMDqGSP
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 20, 2022

Nikola Vucevic may not have had the scoring night we hoped to see (15 points on 5-13 shooting), but he played some tremendous basketball last night. The big man finished with 17 rebounds, 3 blocks, and a game-high +16 from the floor. Whether it be connecting the offense through his interior playmaking or shockingly defending the rim in an efficient fashion, Vucevic helped carry this team on both ends. In fact, he completely outplayed DPOY frontrunner Bam Adebayo, who started the night 1-9 from the field and scored just 12 points with 9 boards.

How can you not like Dalen Terry?

Woo & Dalen were talking with their eyes 😂 pic.twitter.com/INMauaoWO9
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 20, 2022

The Bears do not deserve another primetime game …

Mac Jones is on the Cusp of Returning to the Patriots Lineup — Just in Time to Face the Bears on Monday Night Footballhttps://t.co/ZI529SrEEj pic.twitter.com/43TOPiATKg— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) October 20, 2022

Ew.

The #Blackhawks Reverse Retro Jerseys Are Out And…https://t.co/zn3lbrrb8s pic.twitter.com/D1LWe4AMlt
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) October 20, 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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