Chicago Bulls News: Zach LaVine making LeBron James look soft

When the Chicago Bulls continued their undefeated ways with a victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, it came with a cost.

All Star guard Zach LaVine injured his thumb in the win, and an MRI confirmed a ligament tear.

LaVine ended his night with 22 points, five assists and four rebounds as he and DeMar DeRozan closed the game in exciting fashion. The injury didn’t seem to slow him down at all, thankfully.

Now, the question became whether or not LaVine would miss any time. The Bulls are 4-0 for the first time since the 1996-1997 season and face the New York Knicks on Thursday night. This Knicks game marks the start of a tough run where the Bulls face 12 playoff opponents from last year in their next 13 games.

Zach LaVine will reportedly play through the pain in attempt to further the Chicago Bulls’ winning ways.

The news of LaVine’s ligament tear came the morning after a guy like LeBron James sat out a game due to “soreness” in his leg, which continues to show how soft the league is as a whole.

While LeBron continues his trend of taking rest days — something he’s done for years now — LaVine is set to play through a torn ligament in his thumb. Basketball is a game which requires a few key body parts to be used frequently, and thumbs qualify in that category.

Just pointing out the obvious, here.

LaVine’s willingness to play through injury shows a lot of toughness that’s rarely found in players today. It’s not just LeBron. But, LeBron is the one name who sticks out in this group.

In four games this season, LaVine is averaging 25.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He’s shooting 50 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc — just a blistering start to the season so far.

As the Bulls start 4-0, meanwhile the “star-studded” Lakers are just 2-2 and clearly have plenty of issues to work through.

Regardless of where you stand on the LeBron James and Michael Jordan argument, it’s always pleasant to see the Bulls’ success amidst a rough patch for LeBron — wherever he may be playing that season.

LaVine’s leadership and grittiness is something the Bulls will lean on going into this difficult stretch of games coming up, and you better believe he’ll have to be carried off the court with how dedicated he’s been to this team, in particular.