Chicago Bulls: Who is trending up, trending down amidst preseason

Trending Up: Guard Zach LaVine

Through four preseason games, the Bulls have seemingly gone as Zach LaVine has gone. Three out of the four games have seen LaVine pour in more than 20 points. In two of those three contests, the Bulls have come away with a victory. In the lone loss out of the trio, Chicago lost by just six points.

It is a small sample size, sure, but LaVine seems to be “the guy,” which is exactly what fans have longed to see this season. Especially without Markkanen, the Bulls are going to rely on LaVine heavily — even more so during the absence.

One of the areas I, along with most Bulls fans, wanted to see LaVine improve upon this coming season is his shooting percentage. Now, there are a lot of factors that play into such a stat. But, overall, we want to see LaVine score at a more efficient rate, right?

The preseason has seen LaVine do just that. Discounting the one poor game against the Bucks where LaVine shot 31.5 percent from the field, he has scored at a much more efficient rate than he did last season. In those other three games, LaVine has shot 61.5, 60.0 and 42.9 percent from the field — including 6-of-13 from long distance.

LaVine has simply looked better in nearly every facet of his game in just a few showings, but it is reason to get excited about not only his future, but the Bulls’ future overall. His stock is absolutely trending up.