Getty Zach Lavine should be back soon, but what have we learned about the team and Coby White during his absence?
Chicago Bulls swingman, Zach LaVine has had a heck of a campaign during the 2019-2020 NBA season.
For those keeping score at home: LaVine is averaging 25.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the Winy City.
The crazy part? LaVine did not participate in the NBA All Star Game in Chicago this past February.
“I can’t get mad at myself about not being selected,” LaVine told me in a one-on-one interview a week before the All-Star break.
“A lot of dudes out there were deserving. In my opinion, I think I’m one of the best 12 guys in the East right now individually but then you know you have to also add in that we’re taking our record into account and that’s how the voting’s been going recently
“I say by the end of the season, once we get team success, everybody is going to think about that. You know from the front office down. I believe in myself on the court, I know who I am and I know what I bring…It’s a little upsetting yeah, you think you could be in there, you know you want to play in the game obviously but it’s not going to deter from who I think I am every night and you know, I’ll get there eventually.”
Appearing on the Scoop B Radio Podcast, Jamal Crawford, a close friend of LaVine spoke about LaVine’s upside.
Check out a snippet from our dialogue below:
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: You know Zach LaVine very well. I remember I posted something on Twitter. And someone tweeted – you know people say crazy stuff but, somebody said that Zach LaVine is the next Kobe…and I don’t think you can make comparisons to people this early, he’s still very fresh. But when you look at Zach LaVine and his situation in Chicago, what do you see? Do you like his game this season?
Jamal Crawford: Well I don’t think anybody is going to touch Kobe. It’s so much more to basketball that goes into it. He was so obsessed in so many different ways since he was young and that’s not fair to be put on anybody. But for Zach specifically, I was happy to see Zach play. Now the only thing is, obviously if they’re a little more better as a team then more people will know about him. Then he makes All-Star. But if he could do the same thing, maybe a little bit less. Maybe more help comes around for him and gets them into the playoffs. Zach’s future is bright, he’s always working, he’s such a good spirit and I knew because especially as a young man, you root for guys like that. He actually just partnered with me in helping my community with the pandemic and putting money in the community. Just going out his way helping people. He’s such a good guy on and off the court. He’s the star. No doubt about it. People will see how bright his star is once he gets a better team.