Bulls guard Zach LaVine wasn’t settling for anything Friday.
While being guarded by Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly, LaVine drove past him before stumbling. No foul was called.
After regaining his balance, LaVine continued his drive before flipping up and converting a reverse layup.
One of the most skillful scorers and deadly shooters in the league elected to give his right arm a rest for the night. Instead, LaVine chose to put his head down and live at the rim, burrowing through defenders who tried to impede his path.
But it’s what LaVine did in the fourth quarter that truly showed the growth in his game. After he made a step-back jumper, the Bulls got a stop. LaVine then drove to the basket and could have put up a shot but instead made a nifty pass to guard Josh Giddey in the corner for a three-pointer, causing the Wizards to call a timeout.
LaVine was in complete control in the Bulls’ 138-105 blowout of the Wizards. In addition to his 33 points, he added five rebounds and three assists.
“Coming out of the Indiana game, he set a tone right away,” coach Billy Donovan said. “It started with him running, getting out in transition, getting some easy baskets, then he got it going. But he’s played exceptionally well on both ends of the floor.”
It was the fifth consecutive game in which LaVine scored at least 30 points. He joined Michael Jordan and DeMar DeRozan as the only players in Bulls history to have five games in a row with 30 or more points.
But what’s most impressive about how LaVine is playing is that he’s letting the game come to him, which has been a seasonlong trait. He isn’t forcing shots, which is helping his efficiency. He shot 14-for-21 from the field against the Wizards.
“He’s probably the best shooting guard I’ve played with in my life,” said guard Lonzo Ball, who scored 12 points and dished out six assists.
LaVine’s approach has led to the most efficient season of his career. Entering the game Friday, he was shooting career highs from the field (51.2%) and three-point range (44.4%). After missing 57 games last season, LaVine has been out to prove that it was just an “asterisk year.”
Whatever the Bulls need LaVine to do, he’s acquiesced. Need him to guard the best perimeter player? Check. Need him to play within the offense? He’s done that. LaVine has answered the questions about his game so far this season. As LaVine has quieted the noise, his game has benefited.
“I’ve done a better job this year of just cancelling out a lot of the noise,” LaVine said. “There’s a lot of people that are gonna talk and have opinions.”
Though the trade offers for LaVine aren’t rolling in, he’s showing his value to a contending team. He’s still a lethal shooter off the catch, can finish at the rim and has impressed with his better defensive effort.
“People are supposed to talk about you, have opinions about you,” LaVine said. “If you’re not at that level, they wouldn’t talk about you at all. It’s a good thing that they’re [saying], ‘Zach didn’t play well, or Zach didn’t do this’ because I’m not up to their standards of where I hold myself.”
At 29, LaVine arguably is playing the most complete game of his career after an injury-marred season in 2023-24. He’s playing with determination, focusing on how he best can help the Bulls instead of the off-the-court speculation. He’s in control.