Zach LaVine Injury Update: The Bulls All-Star plans on playing despite being diagnosed with a minor ligament tear on his non-shooting hand

NBA Insider Shams Charania reports that Bulls star Zach Lavine suffers a minor thumb ligament tear, but plans on playing through the pain

The Chicago Bulls are off to a strong 4-0 start this year, for the first time since the 1996-97 season. Zach Lavine has been a huge reason why the Bulls are unbeaten this season.

Lavine has had an amazing start to the season. The 26-year-old currently averages 25.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 4.8 APG for the Bulls in his first four games. Moreover, he is shooting almost 50% from the field, 45% from downtown, and over 95% from the charity stripe, and looks set to bag his first All-star appearance.

Unfortunately, it looks like he may have put the brakes on that as LaVine will be fighting through an injury for the foreseeable future.

According to Athletics’ Shams Charania, Zach Lavine has a small ligament tear in the thumb of his non-shooting left hand. However, in somewhat positive news for Bulls fans, the superstar guard intends to play through the injury.

Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine has a small ligament tear in the thumb of his non-shooting hand but intends to play through the injury, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. It’s a matter of pain tolerance and LaVine wants to play as Chicago starts the season 4-0.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 27, 2021

Zach LaVine is somewhat fortunate that the injury is to his left hand rather than his right. This is mainly because a ligament rupture in his shooting thumb would have been a much more inconvenient obstacle to play through.

This just adds to the injury crisis in the shooting guard position, with youngster Coby White already ruled out the next couple of weeks.

As a result, Javonte Green and Ayo Dosunmu are among the backcourt players who will likely see more playing time if LaVine ultimately sits out some games to rest the thumb.

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How will Zach Lavine’s injury affect the Chicago Bulls’ record?

The Bulls made big-name signings like DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso. Despite all that, Lavine is still recognized as the number one scoring option on the team.

The 26-year-old superstar is on the back of a stellar season. He had a career year last season, averaging  27.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.

Even though the Chicago Bulls are 4-0 to start the season, those four victories against underwhelming squads like New Orleans, and Toronto. Moreover, those teams were missing the likes of Zion and Pascal Siakam respectively.

Next in line for the Bulls are the solid-looking New York Knicks. After that, they face powerhouses Boston, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Golden State, and LA Lakers. If the thumb injury gets worse over time, the Bulls will miss a dynamic scorer against tougher teams.

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If Zach Lavine is out for the foreseeable future, Bulls fans can say goodbye to their dreamy unbeaten record. Let’s hope this injury is not as serious and he returns to full health as soon as possible.