The Chicago Bulls suffered a tough 121-124 loss against the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies tonight. However, fans of the Illinois side will take some consolation in Zach LaVine’s 28-point outing. During a locker room interview after the game, LaVine acknowledged the role that Josh Giddey and the other guards on the team played to help him find his shot.
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LaVine missed 57 games in the 2023-2024 season. But he has hit the ground running by going on a scoring outburst in his second game since January.
The 29-year-old lauded the playmakers of his team for helping him to find his rhythm. “I’ll get my attempts off the ball, off the bounce. With Josh (Giddey), Coby (White), Ayo (Dosunmu) the way they push the ball, we’ll be able to create for each other,” LaVine said.
Over the past few years, the 6ft 5” forward has become a much more ball-dominant player. However, LaVine realized in this game that catch and shoot opportunities can help his scoring as well. The addition of players like Giddey can ensure that he doesn’t need a high usage like before.
“I’m more than fine with getting easy shots off the ball. I like those stress-free shots,” LaVine concluded.
Zach LaVine talks about how Ayo Dosunmu, Josh Giddey and Coby White help to create “stress free” shots in catch-and-shoot situations: pic.twitter.com/xbLIAlYWSu
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) October 13, 2024
The Bulls star has instantly benefitted from the addition of Giddey. The pass-first player’s ability to distribute the ball and find the open man has led to LaVine receiving more open looks than ever before. He shot a 100% from beyond the arc tonight, making all six of his three-point attempts.
On the other hand, Giddey displayed his passing abilities after recording 7 assists in the game. That’s quite an improvement from his 4.8 assists per game last season.
The Bulls’ passing will continue to improve as Lonzo Ball is soon expected to return.
Ball could be the primary playmaker for the Bulls’ second unit
Lonzo Ball has been mostly inactive due to injuries for the past few seasons. However, he’s expected not to miss any regular season games this year. In his absence, the likes of White and Dosunmu had to take on the playmaker’s role.
Now with Zo returning, the Bulls will have two selfless, pass-first guards on their team. While Giddey will be helping his teammates on the starting lineup to get open looks, Ball will mainly act as the floor general for the second unit for a large chunk of the season. This allows Dosunmu to go back to his original shooting guard position.
Due to his horrific injuries, the former UCLA Bruin will be restricted to a sixth-man role with limited minutes. His willingness to pass the ball and ability to make his teammates better could result in Dosunmu and Jalen Smith having breakout campaigns.
Billy Donovan plans to make Ball play in two of the final three preseason games. Hopefully, this is enough playing time for Ball to establish great on-court chemistry with other reserves before the regular season commences.
