There are two players in Chicago Bulls history that have started a season with four consecutive 30-point game: Michael Jordan and Zach LaVine.
Too much for you to handle, Wolves fan? Sorry, but it gets worse.
As we all know, the Wolves sent LaVine, Kris Dunn and the No. 7 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft (Laurii Markkanen) to the Bulls for Jimmy Butler and the No. 16 pick (Justin Patton). Butler was an All-Star in his first season in Minnesota and he’s off to another great start this year, albeit his last year (most likely) since he’s requested a trade that Wolves owner Glen Taylor plans to honor.
In time, the Wolves will have given up LaVine, Dunn and Markkanen for Patten, who can’t stay healthy, and whatever they get back when they ultimately grant Butler his wish and trade him.
Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins, in the first year of his five-year, $148 million extension, seems like the same player he’s always been while LaVine is lighting up the league. Wiggins is shooting 43.1 percent from the field and just 31.3 percent from 3-point land. It’s early, but both percentages are about on par with his career averages.
LaVine, meanwhile, in his first full year back after missing most of the 2017-18 season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in 2016 with the Wolves, is third in the NBA in scoring at 32.3 points per game and is doing it while shooting a sizzling 57.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep.
LaVine is also getting to the free-throw line an average of nine times per game, including a career-high 12 times (he made 11) in Chicago’s win over the Hornets Wednesday night.
Wiggins has never averaged more than seven free-throw attempts per game in his career, and since Butler arrived last season his attempts have dipped to under four per game.
And guess who made the game-clinching defensive and offensive plays in the final 10 seconds against the Hornets: LaVine did, of course.
Tied 110-110, LaVine pressured Kemba Walker into fumbling the ball out of bounds and then drove to the hoop and got fouled with a half-second left on the clock.
“It was going to be a dunk or it was going to be free throws,” LaVine said of his game-winning play, according to the Chicago Tribune. He hit both free throws and the Bulls won.
Reconstructed knee and all, LaVine is still effortlessly blowing by defenders for vicious dunks.
Chicago has just one win this season, but it doesn’t help that LaVine is basically keeping them in games by himself. Dunn is out 4-6 weeks with a knee injury, Markkanen has yet to play because of an elbow injury and the Bulls lost power forward Bobby Portis to an injury Wednesday night.
LaVine keeps piling up the points, doing so aggressively by getting to the rim consistently, seemingly at will.
“I just go into games trying to be aggressive,” LaVine said. “I’m going back in there. I don’t care.”
Now if Wiggins would just do the same, the Wolves might be even more dangerous than they already are.
