Getty Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls dribbles downcourt.
It began with a 16-point halftime lead for the Chicago Bulls (19-23) but it ended with a three-point loss to the Washington Wizards. Along the way, there was a 15-point third quarter for Wizards guard Monte Morris whose efforts in the frame were only outdone by teammate Kyle Kuzma’s late-game heroics.
All the focus, however, has been on the Bulls’ final possession in which Zach LaVine made the questionable decision to pull up for a two-pointer despite the Bulls being down three points.
“We were just trying to get a 3 off,” LaVine said. “And then when I went in to go pullup…Delon Wright fouled me. My instinct was to go up and try to get a 3-point play,” LaVine said. “I was going for a pull-up when he fouled me. I shot it, they didn’t call it, and that’s how it is.”
Neither that sequence nor the explanation sat particularly well.
Zach LaVine’s Basketball IQ In Question
LaVine said that Wright admitted he fouled him and the replay does appear to show the latter pointing downward on the play as if to suggest the call he thought was coming should be on the floor, not in the act of shooting. That makes a big difference since Washington still had one foul to give.
The two-time All-Star also added that Wright suggested the foul was intentional.
But LaVine was also not making excuses for yet another blown call instead being deliberate about giving credit to Kuzma for making a “big shot” while also emphasizing that there were plays throughout the game the Bulls should have made that let the game get away.
BIG TIME PLAYER!
The explanation was apparently not good enough with Laurence Holmes of 670 The Score taking LaVine to task during the “Bernstein & Holmes” show on January 12.
“He’s not a max player because of stuff like this,” Holmes said emphatically. “The reason DeMar gets the ball at the end of the game is he has a higher basketball IQ. He understands game and situation. And no, he’s not a perfect player. But I trust him to make the right decision at the end of a game.”
Shams Charania and Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic caused quite a stir when he reported that the Bulls were working through issues between LaVine and DeMar DeRozan and a blowup in the locker room aimed at the former.
LaVine addressed the issue and seemed to move on from it with the guard also getting more late-game opportunities even before DeRozan’s injury.
Donovan confirmed that the call was to get a three and tried to offer his perspective.
Holmes lamented LaVine’s reaction to the non-call adding that this was a missed opportunity to prove his worth.
“You finally got DeMar out the way,” said Holmes of DeRozan’s first absence of the season. “He’s not there, you’re the man now, dog. Here’s your opportunity. And what do you do with it? You dribbled inside of the three-point line and sitting there crying looking for a foul that was inconsequential because you didn’t understand the score or situation.”
The league’s last two-minute report upheld the decision on the floor.
Taking The Good With The Bad
LaVine scored 19 of his game-high 38 points after the break with nine coming in the fourth quarter. He is averaging 26.1 points on 64.1% true shooting since the start of December, right about when he says he began to feel more like his usual self on the floor.
Unfortunately, his defense has trended in the wrong direction going from 115 over his first 17 appearances to 118 in his last 21 outings offsetting an 11-point rise in his offensive rating.
His decision-making has long been a point of contention for his detractors.
“This is the guy they’ve hitched their wagon to,” Holmes said. “A guy with all the athletic ability in the world and a lack of basketball IQ and killer instinct.”
For The Longhaul?
The Bulls gave LaVine a five-year, $215 million max contract this past summer seemingly tying him to the organization through 2027. But, amid lingering issues with head coach Billy Donovan and the front office, there has been increased speculation that LaVine could seek a trade out of Chicago.
Zach LaVine has 35 on 25 shots so far, playing with this kind of spacing all night.
Nothing has ever been described as being imminent and LaVine has pushed back against trade rumors while his relationship with Donovan has also been described as workable.
Still, this continues to be a situation to monitor.