According to Nick Raguz of Sports Illustrated on Monday, Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine of Renton, Washington will undergo foot surgery and will be out for the rest of the season. LaVine has not played for the Bulls since January 18, in a 116-110 Bulls win over the struggling Toronto Raptors.
LaVine is averaging 19.5 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 3.9 assists per game. He has a field goal percentage of .452, three-point percentage of .349, and a field goal percentage of .854.
There is a belief that the Bulls might decide to start a rebuild in the not too-distant future. There is a possibility that they may consider trading DeMar DeRozan and Andre Drummond. Chicago is currently in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 23 wins and 27 losses. However, before Bulls management decides to go with a gigantic rebuild, remember what happened last year. The Miami Heat reached the 2023 NBA Finals after having to go through the play-in tournament, just to qualify for the postseason.
The loss of LaVine is definitely significant. We are talking about a two-time All-Star. He was selected the first time in 2020-21, and the second time in 2021-22. In 2020-21, LaVine averaged 27.4 points per game, five rebounds per game, and 4.9 assists per game. He had a field goal percentage of .507, three-point percentage of .419 and a free throw percentage of .849. In 2021-22, LaVine averaged 24.4 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, and 4.5 assists per game. He had a field goal percentage of .476, three point percentage of .389, and a free throw percentage of .853.
