Chicago Bulls: What will Zach LaVine look like at full strength?

Zach LaVine has been looking more and more like himself over the past three games for the Chicago Bulls. What will he look like when he’s fully healthy?

Now that the Chicago Bulls are getting back to their losing ways, fans can start breathing easier about the team’s chances of landing a lottery pick.

In fact, few tank losses can be as clutch as the Bulls’ 104-98 defeat at the hands of the lowly Sacramento Kings last night. With that loss, the Bulls are now just two games out from the worst record in the NBA (they currently at 18-35 for sixth-worst).

In the meantime, though, fans can also enjoy things like what Zach LaVine did to JaKarr Sampson yesterday.

I’m sorry: did this guy watch any dunk contest footage from LaVine’s first two seasons? No?

Did he at least hear about the way LaVine unceremoniously knighted Alex Len last season?

I know that he’s just out there playing to win and such, but what exactly did Sampson think he was about to accomplish here? Well, here’s some advice: don’t bother next time. His hops are above your pay grade, pal.

Plays like that should give Chicago Bulls fans hope that LaVine is progressing quickly in his return from ACL surgery. And his stat line over the past three games might give us a glimpse into what he can provide this team moving forward.

Starting with last Wednesday’s loss to the Portland Trailblazers, LaVine has topped 20 points in each of his last three contests, including dropping 27 last night on the Kings. He’s also shooting nearly 47% from the field (23/49) and has hit more than 55% of his 3-pointers (10/18) in that span. For the season, his scoring average currently sits at 15.6 points per game.

While his shooting percentages (39.6% total, 39.3% from 3) aren’t great, they’ll likely improve as he gets healthier. And given what he’s already done thus far, how good can he be when he’s all the way back?

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We can’t forget that LaVine will only be reaching his 23^rd birthday next month, meaning there’s a TON of room for growth left in his game. Plus, before he fell to injury last year, he was averaging 18.9 points a game at just 21.

His athleticism has clearly returned to being exceptional, as evidenced by last night’s demolition of Sampson. And, believe it or not, his current 3-point percentage is an improvement over last season’s (38.7%) and represents his career-best mark. As such, he’s still making progress while he gets his legs back.

With Lauri Markkanen also providing long-range accuracy, LaVine’s effect on this Chicago Bulls offense could be huge if/when he returns to full strength.

He can hit from deep with just the slightest of space and can generally elevate over most guys when he has to make contested shots from the perimeter. And when people overplay him on the outside, he has the burst and ridiculous athleticism to drive and finish over or around anyone at the rim.

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If LaVine is scoring this well now after being back for little more than a month, it’s hard not to envision him averaging 20-25 points a game next season when he has a full season and full health to work with. My guess would be 22 per game.

And as he learns to play with Markkanen and Kris Dunn, one would hope that he can also develop as a passer and start to contribute four assists or better per game. That, combined with his solid rebounding numbers this year (4.5 per game) could help him round into a complete player.