Getty DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine talk during a Bulls-Sixers game.
Before the 2021-22 season started, several NBA pundits picked the Chicago Bulls to be a play-in team despite acquiring DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso and pairing them with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. The pessimism seemed to center on an assumption that DeRozan and LaVine wouldn’t coexist since they are two ball-dominant players.
However, DeRozan and LaVine have meshed perfectly. Both stars are averaging over 24.0 points and the Bulls have the best record in the Eastern Conference standings. DeRozan knew he and LaVine would be a lethal dynamic duo, which is why he never paid attention to what the “fake experts” were saying.
DeRozan on LaVine Pairing: ‘I Told Him, It’s Gon’ Work’
The Bulls are title contenders for the first time since the Derrick Rose era. DeRozan has already been named an All-Star starter, while LaVine is widely expected to be named a reserve. Both guards treasure playing with each other and enjoy shutting up their critics.
“Fake experts. Obviously, you hear it all, about how it’s not going to work, this and that,” DeRozan told Abe Schwadron of SLAM Magazine. “Just every negative. As competitors, you hear all that. That was one of the first conversations we had. I told him, It’s gon’ work. And he said the same thing to me.”
DeRozan is putting up 26.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in his first season with the Bulls while shooting 50.2% from the field. Meanwhile, LaVine is averaging 24.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
Many superstars in the NBA have an ego about playing with other great players since they want to be the “man,” but neither DeRozan nor LaVine has that mindset.
DeRozan and LaVine Have No Egos
DeRozan adores watching LaVine shine, just like the latter appreciates seeing the former dominate games. Neither Bulls star gets jealous of the other and their stout friendship and chemistry is a big reason why the Bulls are playing like an elite unit.
“Having those new guys over here, we have a complete team now, and I have no ego with that,” LaVine said. “It’s not my team, or DeMar’s team, or Lonzo, or Vooch. We’re all leaders in our own way, and on any given night it could be one of our nights. Obviously, we each have roles, but our main goal we talked about was do whatever it takes to win. Whoever has it going that night, we’ll go through them and just try to help this team grow. We see ourselves as a championship-caliber team.”
The Bulls are on their way to making the playoffs for the first time since 2017. While DeRozan and LaVine are pleased they have been able to revitalize the Chicago franchise in their first year together, both scorers have bigger fish to fry.
“If you don’t have championship aspirations, you’re selling yourself short,” LaVine said “We have championship aspirations, and we’re trying to build championship habits.”
Added DeRozan: “That’s why you go out there and compete. That’s why you figure out what team you could join, which city you could represent. It’s a historic franchise.”
Since the Michael Jordan era ended in 1998, the Bulls have reached the Eastern Conference Finals once. That was back in 2011 when Rose became the youngest MVP in NBA history. It will be fascinating to see how far DeRozan and LaVine can lead Chicago in the 2022 playoffs in their first year as a tandem.