Getty CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 17: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls drives in for a dunk against the San Antonio Spurs at the United Center on March 17, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. The Spurs defeated the Bulls 106-99. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Don’t look now, but Chicago Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine might be adding another weapon to his already extensive arsenal of offensive weapons.
During another of LaVine’s intense workouts, the 26-year-old heading into his 8th season in the NBA was seen working on his Eurostep.
During the 2020-21 NBA season, LaVine averaged career-highs in points per game at 27.4, field-goal percentage .507, three-point percentage .419, free-throw percentage .849, rebounds per game at 5 and assists per game with 4.9.
Deeper Dive into Zach LaVine’s Efficiency Last Season
Perform from AS described LaVine as one of the NBA’s deadliest shooters last season. They wrote:
The mid-range shot is somewhat of a lost art in the current game with the added weight given to a shot from a few feet further back beyond the arc, but it still has a place and if a shooter can connect from mid-range with regularity he becomes all the more threatening to score. LaVine has found his touch from mid-range, making 44.6 per cent of those shots this season after hitting at a 31.9 percent clip last season. That increase of 12.7 per cent is the sixth-largest in the NBA among 73 shooters who have attempted at least 50 mid-range shots this season and last. Shooters shoot, and LaVine is thriving. His effective field goal percentage of 61.5 ranks second in the NBA among all guards.
If you watched a lot of Bulls basketball last season, you know, as good as the first-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist was, he very rarely used the Eurostep to score.
Perhaps that’s going to change this season. When you consider LaVine’s ability to make the three and to blow past defenders off the dribble, he already has one of the most effective skill combinations a perimeter scorer can possess.
Add in the Eurostep, and LaVine could be even more efficient because he may be able to raise the number of free-throws he attempts per game. That’s usually a path to a higher point-per-game average. LaVine attempted 5.1 free throws per game last season, which was down from the last two years (6.0 and 5.4).
If he’s planning to attack the basket more often, we might see those numbers rise.
Zach LaVine Could Be Even Deadlier in 2021-22
It might be hard to imagine LaVine being better in 2021-22 than he was last season. From a pure statistics standpoint, he probably won’t average as many points per game.
However, that doesn’t mean he won’t be more efficient. With a true point guard on the floor in Lonzo Ball another facilitator/scorer in DeMar DeRozan as well as a deadly scorer and solid passer in Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls’ offense could be among the best in the NBA.
You could make the argument that only the Brooklyn Nets have a better Big 3 from a purely offensive standpoint. If LaVine is working to make himself a more effective guy from a step inside the free-throw line, watch out.
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Zach LaVine Working on New Weapon For His Arsenal