Most important Chicago Bulls players to watch next season

3. Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine would probably be higher on this list if not the uncertainty surrounding his ability to play in the 2017-18 season. LaVine was arguably the best player who the Bulls acquired in the Bulter trade and is undoubtedly an important part of their future. However, as he recovers from a torn ACL in February, it is hard to say when we will see LaVine on the court.

I expect that we will see him at some point during the upcoming season, but do not expect it to be early. The Chicago Bulls will undoubtedly bring him along slowly.

LaVine is an extremely interesting player who was once one of the most intriguing young athletes in the entire NBA. His ridiculous athleticism explodes off of the screen. LaVine is a prolific dunker who uses his athleticism well to get to the basket. He was wrongfully used as a point guard early in his career, and that stunted LaVine’s development a bit.

However, when Minnesota starting using him exclusively off the ball, we started to see LaVine’s upside really shine through.

His athleticism and ridiculous ability to dunk from seemingly anywhere is exciting, but it is not his most exciting skill. LaVine has grown into an impressive three-point shooter over the last couple of years and it has allowed him to take his game to the next level.

LaVine has shot an impressive 39% from three-point range in each of his last two seasons in Minnesota. While that does not make him an elite outside shooter, his percentage certainly puts him a strong range. For comparison’s sake, LaVine was only percentage points behind noted three-point marksman Danilo Gallinari last season on just a few fewer attempts. He was also just behind Manu Ginobili on far more attempts.

I am not saying that LaVine is going to come in and become a big-time three-point threat, but he will undoubtedly help space the floor for the Bulls, something that they have drastically needed in recent years.

Add LaVine’s shooting touch to his ridiculous athleticism and it is easy to see his massive offensive upside. LaVine is a poor defender and not much of a facilitator. That being said, he has a chance to lead the Bulls’ offense for many years to come.

We will probably only get a small sample size of LaVine in a Bulls uniform this season, but every time he is on the court, he is among the most important players to watch.