Zach LaVine

Central Rumors: Pacers, Turner, LaVine, Vucevic, Strus

December 13th, 2024 at 3:29pm CST by Rory Maher

Confirming a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) also hears the Pacers are pursuing a trade for a backup center. In fact, Fischer’s sources say Indiana is considered likely to acquire a reserve big man shortly after Dec. 15, when many players around the league become trade-eligible.

The Pacers have an open spot on their 15-man roster and are operating approximately $2.2MM below the luxury tax line. That gives them the flexibility to trade for a player on a one-year, minimum-salary contract without becoming a projected taxpayer.

Here are some more rumors and notes from the Central Division:

Pacers center Myles Turner is on an expiring $19.9MM contract and is not eligible for an in-season veteran extension. That means he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2025 at 28 years old. Evidently Indiana isn’t worried about losing him in free agency though, as the team hasn’t been discussing Turner in trade talks, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Zach LaVine is healthy and playing well for Chicago, but the Bulls still haven’t found any takers for his contract, and the two-time All-Star still hopes to eventually be dealt. “Nothing has changed,” one source close to the situation told Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link).
In that same ESPN story, Tim Bontemps reports that people around the NBA don’t expect much of a market for Bulls center Nikola Vucevic either. As Bontemps explains, Vucevic is having a great offensive season, but people think his elite shooting percentages will likely regress, and he’s a poor defender. According to Bontemps, the most important factor in the relative lack of interest in the two-time All-Star may be the market, or lack thereof, for centers. The 34-year-old will earn $20MM this season, followed by $21.5MM in ’25/26.
The Cavaliers are eager to get Max Strus back in their lineup, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required), who says Strus could be a more meaningful in-season addition than a trade. However, Strus’ debut will have to wait at least a few more days, as he’s been ruled out of Friday’s contest vs. Washington (Twitter link via Fedor). According to Grant Afseth of RG.org, Strus had planned to make his season debut on Friday, but his ankle didn’t respond as well as he’d hoped amid some “pretty hard” practices this week during the team’s ramp-up process. Big man Evan Mobley is questionable for Friday’s contest with a left ankle sprain, Afseth adds.

Bulls Notes: Smith, LaVine, Vucevic, Williams, Buzelis

December 11th, 2024 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Revenge wasn’t on Jalen Smith‘s mind when he faced the Pacers Friday night for the first time since leaving them over the summer to sign with the Bulls, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

Given the financial realities of the situation, Smith and Indiana’s front office both seemed to understand going into last season that their relationship was about to end, Dopirak adds. Holding a $5.4MM player option, Smith felt it was in his best interest to seek a bigger contract in free agency, and the three-year, $27MM deal he got from Chicago was nearly double what the Pacers were paying him. With no hard feelings on either side, Smith welcomed Friday’s game as a chance to catch up with some old friends.

“Obviously, I wanted to be back in Indiana, but at the end of the day, it was the business part of the game,” he said. “All of them wished me luck. They all said they would be there to help me whenever I needed it. At the end of the day, I didn’t leave on bad terms. Obviously, being able to finally get my career going there, it was tough to leave, but at the end of the day it was just the business part of the game.”

Smith has been a solid addition in Chicago, averaging 8.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per night as the team’s primary backup center. His loss has been significant for Indiana, which doesn’t have a reliable big man off the bench since Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman both suffered season-ending injuries.

“Loved him,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Smith. “He’s one of the most wonderful young men I’ve ever been around. Always in a great mood, high level of skill. He’s a great rebounder and he can really shoot the ball and he can block shots. He knows how to play. He’s a great teammate. I was really disappointed that we lost him, but I could really see that it was gonna happen. He’s just too good.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Zach LaVine isn’t dominating the offense the way he has in the past, but he’s still scoring a lot because of improved efficiency, notes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. LaVine has only taken 20 shots five times this season, but he’s connecting at 50.6% from the field, a career-high 43.2% from beyond the arc and 80% on free throws. ‘‘There might be a game where I may need to go out there and try and lead the team offensively, but this year has been more about spurts,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t think that’s the style of play that we’re playing right now.’’
Center Nikola Vucevic is also benefiting from coach Billy Donovan’s up-tempo offense, per Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Vucevic is averaging 21 PPG, which would be his highest total for a full season since he came to Chicago in a 2021 trade, and he’s shooting 58.7% from the floor, the best figure of his career. “I don’t think people understand how hard he works,” LaVine said. “We all made sacrifices — me, DeMar (DeRozan), Vooch — we all came together and we all took a little bit less of our game and tried to do better for the team. But I think Vooch took the biggest back seat for years.”
Patrick Williams plans to return Friday after missing 10 games with inflammation in his left foot, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Williams will likely be on a minutes restriction at first, but Mayberry notes that the team will eventually face a decision on how much his availability cuts into the playing time of rookie forward Matas Buzelis.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Buzelis, Defensive Woes, Ball

December 7th, 2024 at 5:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Zach LaVine‘s first steps toward overcoming the injuries that ruined last season took place in the boxing ring, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. After undergoing surgery in February to fix a nonunion Jones fracture in his right foot, LaVine sought a method of cardio training that wouldn’t put excess strain on the injured area. He turned to a California boxing gym to help build his fitness and endurance, and it also gave him a mental sharpness that has been useful on the basketball court.

“Those three-minute rounds — it’s you versus him,” LaVine said. “Any mistakes you make, he’ll knock you down. It takes mental fortitude to really lock into what you’re doing. That’s helped me this year where if I’m tired in the moment or I’m upset about something, I can think with a little bit more of a clear head. Playing basketball is not as hard as somebody trying to knock you out.”

Poe notes that LaVine needs extra endurance to fit into coach Billy Donovan’s new offense, which has the Bulls playing at the fastest rate in league history with 104.82 possessions per 48 minutes. Even though the attack hasn’t been efficient so far, Chicago ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 118.9 points per game. LaVine is playing fewer minutes and seeing fewer shots than in past seasons, but Donovan credits him for buying into the system.

“He’s really tried to help us establish the identity and the style of play,” Donovan said. “He’s been really selective. We haven’t really taken a ton of non-paint twos. Our shot profile has been good. The level of uncontested threes we’ve gotten has been good.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Donovan has been impressed by the fearlessness Matas Buzelis has shown as a rookie, Poe adds in a separate story. Even though his first NBA season has been filled with ups and downs, Buzelis hasn’t let any setbacks affect his approach to the game. “He’s not afraid of failure or messing up,” Donovan said. “He gets disappointed or down because he wants to do better, but it doesn’t paralyze him. I’ve seen some players who are just afraid to make mistakes and they just don’t do anything. He’s not that way.”
Donovan is looking forward to a break in the schedule next week to try to fix the Bulls’ porous defense, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Speaking to reporters after his team surrendered 132 points in Friday’s loss to Indiana, Donovan indicated that defense will be the priority during an upcoming four-day stretch without games. “I don’t want to place it all on practice, but we do need that,” he said. “The way the schedule has been in November, we do need it. We’ve got to figure out ways, all of us, coaches, players, solve just the quick things that happen in a game that leads to breakdowns.”
Ramona Shelburne and Jamal Collier of ESPN take an inside look at Lonzo Ball‘s long rehabilitation process, including the “Hail Mary” operation that helped him resume his career.

Bulls Notes: Williams, Giddey, White, Ball, LaVine

December 5th, 2024 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls forward Patrick Williams, who has been out since November 18 due to inflammation in his surgically repaired left foot, won’t play in either game of the team’s back-to-back set on Thursday (in San Antonio) and Friday (vs. Indiana), tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network.

Although Williams didn’t practice with the team on Wednesday, he did work out individually, according to head coach Billy Donovan, who said the 23-year-old’s window to potentially return opens next week.

Given that he has yet to practice, Williams may not be ready to go for Sunday’s game vs. Philadelphia, but the Bulls will have four days off after that before hosting the Hornets next Friday — it sounds like he could return for that contest.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

While he admits that his first 22 games this season have been “up and down,” Josh Giddey said he’s doing his best to help the Bulls in any way he can and isn’t thinking about trying to make the team look good for its decision to give up Alex Caruso for him over the summer, as Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic relays. “Anytime you get traded for a player like (Caruso), I mean, there was a lot of talk about it, whether it was a good trade or a bad trade,” Giddey said. “I don’t buy too much into that. I’m confident in myself and what I can do. These guys make it easy for me to play. I’m not trying to come in here and be anything more than myself. Find ways I can fit in and make this group better.”
Coby White will miss a second consecutive game on Thursday due to a left ankle sprain, per Johnson (Twitter links), though Mayberry suggests White shouldn’t be out for an extended period. Another Bulls guard, Lonzo Ball, has been ruled out for Thursday’s game, according to Johnson, but that’s just a case of the team managing his usage in a back-to-back — the plan is to have him active on Friday against the Pacers.
Coming off a season-ending injury, surrounded by trade rumors, and facing questions about the size of contract, Zach LaVine could easily have come into camp as a disgruntled star this fall, but the Bulls continue to be impressed by his positive attitude, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. LaVine told reporters on Wednesday that he’s “in a really good spot mentally,” which hasn’t gone unnoticed by head coach Billy Donovan. “Whatever his frustrations were, they were,” Donovan said. “But he’s been able to digest that, go through that himself mentally, and get to the place he is now. I really respect everything he’s done. … He’s in a really good headspace.”
LaVine added that he’s enjoyed being called upon for more challenging defensive assignments this season, as Cowley notes. “This year has opened my eyes up a little bit to where you look at guys that I watched: Kobe (Bryant), Michael (Jordan), D-Wade (Dwyane Wade), and it’s like, ‘I’ve always been in great shape, but OK, you have to be in top-tier … strong too.'” LaVine said. “Yeah, it takes a little bit away (from the offense), but mentally that’s where you have to dig deep and see how much you want it. I like taking on those challenges right now.”

Eastern Rumors: Knicks, B. Brown, Stewart, Springer, Bulls

December 2nd, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Since Landry Shamet dislocated his shoulder during the preseason, scuttling his chances of making the Knicks‘ opening night roster, reports have indicated that the club is highly likely to re-sign him if and when he gets healthy.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms as much and adds another detail to those reports. According to Scotto, if Shamet returns, the hope in New York is that Matt Ryan – who is currently on a non-guaranteed contract – will clear waivers and rejoin the club on a two-way deal.

The Knicks have an open 15-man roster spot, but don’t have enough breathing room below their hard cap to carry both players on standard deals, so Ryan would have to be cut if Shamet re-signs.

Here are a few more rumors from around the Eastern Conference:

Although the Raptors declined offers of multiple second-round picks for Bruce Brown at last season’s trade deadline, there’s a widespread belief that the versatile swingman will be back on the trade block this season, per Scotto. Brown, who is on an expiring $23MM contract, continues to make his way back from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and appears to be getting closer to making his season debut.
Isaiah Stewart‘s demotion to a bench role this season for the first time since his rookie year has led executives around the NBA to believe that the Pistons‘ big man will be available on the trade market this season, according to Scotto. Stewart is in the first season of a four-year, $60MM contract that features flat annual cap hits of $15MM.
Confirming previous reporting, Scotto says the Celtics gauged the trade market for Jaden Springer and his $4MM expiring contract in the fall. While there were teams willing to take on Springer if it means acquiring draft compensation from Boston, the C’s weren’t interested at that time in giving up draft capital to move off of the guard’s contract, Scotto reports. It will be interesting to see if that changes before the trade deadline.
Explaining the recent uptick in trade rumors surrounding the Bulls, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times says, citing a source, that the only new development in Chicago is that the team is “starting to look at a more responsible asking price” for veterans like Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. The Bulls remain unwilling to attach a first-round pick to LaVine though, Cowley notes.

Trade Rumors: Collins, Jazz, Bulls, Nets, Zion, Butler

December 1st, 2024 at 5:29pm CST by Rory Maher

In each of the past two seasons, the Jazz started out surprisingly competitive, with .500 records in early February, only to sell off veterans and tank down the stretch to improve their lottery odds. With a 4-15 start to the 2024/25 campaign, Utah’s front office probably isn’t concerned about the team’s place in the reverse standings.

That doesn’t mean the Jazz won’t be listening to offers for their veterans again though, according to Marc Stein at Substack, who lists big man John Collins and guards Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton as three trade candidates to keep an eye on.

On paper, Collins put up solid numbers in ’23/24, which was his first season with Utah, averaging 15.1 PPG and 8.5 RPG on .532/.371/.795 shooting in 68 games (28.0 MPG). But there was a fairly long adjustment period between player and team — his fit was awkward at times in the frontcourt.

Collins has looked more comfortable — and been more productive — to open ’24/25, averaging 17.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.3 SPG (up from 1.1 and 0.6 last season, respectively) in approximately the same amount of minutes (28.7 MPG). His shooting line is currently .535/.353/.949.

The 27-year-old’s bounce-back season has Utah’s front office happy with the decision to acquire him from Atlanta for essentially a second-round pick, Stein writes. Collins is owed $25.8MM this season, with a $26.8MM player option for ’25/26, so his contract could prove more difficult to move than that of Clarkson, who is owed $14.1MM this season and $14.3MM in ’25/26, Stein adds. Sexton, meanwhile, will earn $18.4MM in ’24/25, followed by $19.2MM in ’25/26.

Here are some more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Like Jake Fischer, Stein hears the Bulls are considered a prominent seller ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, with Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball considered the most likely candidates to be dealt. In fact, Stein says Chicago’s front office seems confident it will be able to trade “at least one” of those players in the next few months.
A surprisingly competitive 9-11 start reportedly won’t deter the Nets from trading away veterans, with Brooklyn expected to join Utah and Chicago as clear sellers. “Just about everyone on their roster is available as long as they don’t take back long-term money,” one source told Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link). “(But) they’re not giving anyone away. At least not yet.” According to Stein, rival teams are particularly intrigued by the strong play of veteran point guard Dennis Schröder, who is on an expiring $13MM contract.
This isn’t a trade rumor, but Stein reports that there’s a “rising expectation” that Pelicans star Zion Williamson will hire Bill Duffy of WME Sports to be his next agent. Williamson, who is currently sidelined by a hamstring strain, recently parted ways with CAA. Duffy has several prominent clients around the NBA, per RealGM, including Vucevic, Luka Doncic, Scottie Barnes and Anthony Edwards, among others.
A number of teams are monitoring Jimmy Butler‘s situation with the Heat, Fischer said on a Bleacher Report livestream (video link). However, Fischer hasn’t heard any recent chatter specifically involving the six-time All-Star, who can be an unrestricted free next summer if he declines his $52.4MM player option for ’25/26.

Bulls Notes: Potential Trades, Giddey, Ball, Backcourt

November 30th, 2024 at 8:29am CST by Luke Adams

After Jake Fischer reported on Friday that the Bulls are open to discussing the “majority of their roster” in trade talks this season, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link) confirms that rival teams are viewing Chicago as a probable in-season seller. Those rivals believe the Bulls will likely want to take steps to ensure they finish among the NBA’s bottom 10 teams and hang onto their top-10 protected first-round pick.

Still, there’s some skepticism about just how much value Chicago will be able to extract in return for the players believed to be trade candidates, such as Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.

“It makes sense for them to trade a veteran, especially if it opens more playing time for rookie (Matas Buzelis)” an executive told ESPN. “But who are they trading that would make a difference? They’ve been trying to move LaVine for more than a year but there’s been no good market. They want to keep (Coby) White, and Vucevic is on the books for $21 million next year.”

Here’s more out of Chicago:

Rival teams are also monitoring the Bulls’ usage of Josh Giddey, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Insider link), who says opposing scouts and executives have “noted” Giddey’s recent dip in playing time. Giddey, who will be a restricted free agent in 2025, has started all 21 games for the Bulls so far this season, but has played more than 26 minutes just twice in his past nine games, and his on/off-court numbers haven’t been great, as Bontemps notes. Even after Giddey was a +14 in 24 minutes on Friday, the Bulls have a -7.3 net rating in his 565 minutes this season, compared to a -2.9 mark in the 443 minutes he hasn’t played.
As Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune observes, Giddey was replaced by Lonzo Ball in the Bulls’ closing lineup on Friday vs. Boston for defensive reasons. Giddey didn’t play the final 8:43 of the loss, while Ball surpassed his anticipated 16-minute limit midway through the fourth quarter and logged a season-high 21:40. Head coach Billy Donovan consulted with both Ball and the Bulls’ medical team before making that decision, Poe writes.
Donovan raved after the game about Ball’s ability to impact a game even when his shot isn’t falling, as Kyle Williams of The Chicago Sun-Times relays. “The steals, the disruption, the hands, knocking down his first couple threes,” Donovan said. “Even if he missed those two shots, he still had a huge impact on the game.” The Bulls’ head coach added that reintegrating Ball into a crowded backcourt rotation hasn’t been an issue, since his players – including Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu – have been positive about the adjustments to their roles. “The unselfishness part of all the guards has been really key,” Donovan said. “I think Lonzo having that stint of 15 or 16 minutes, getting him out there, the team is excited for him. What makes it easier for me is the way those guys have handled it. It’s never been like, ‘Hey, I’m the point guard.’ They’ve all been willing to give up something for the betterment of each other.”
A win over the Celtics on Friday would’ve secured the Bulls’ spot in the NBA Cup knockout round. Instead, they’ve been eliminated from contention, having finished the group stage with a 2-2 record. The Hawks (3-1) won Chicago’s group (East Group C) and earned a place in the quarterfinals.

Fischer: Bulls Open To Discussing ‘Majority Of Their Roster’

November 29th, 2024 at 3:37pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bulls are viewed as a prime candidate to sell off veterans ahead of the February 6 trade deadline, Jake Fischer writes on Marc Stein’s Substack page.

As Fischer explains, Chicago has been fairly competitive thus far, currently holding an 8-12 record. But winning too many games could jeopardize the Bulls’ first-round pick, which will convey to San Antonio if it falls outside of the top 10 in next year’s draft (Chicago will keep the pick if it lands in the top 10).

That’s why the Bulls have been signaling to rival teams that they’re open to discussing the “majority of their roster” ahead of the February 6 trade deadline, league sources tell Fischer. Unsurprisingly, Fischer hears Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball top the list of players Chicago would like to move.

The Bulls have reportedly been trying to trade LaVine for well over a year, but have yet to find a suitable deal due to his injury history and maximum-salary contract — he’ll earn a combined $89MM this season and next, with a $49MM player option for ’26/27.

The 29-year-old has been productive this season, averaging 21.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 4.3 APG on a sparkling .510/.434/.814 shooting line through 17 games (33.7 MPG). He has also reportedly mended fences with head coach Billy Donovan.

However, three teams who previously held some level of interest in the two-time All-Star — the Kings, Warriors and Pistons — are now considered unlikely suitors for LaVine, according to Fischer.

Here’s more on the Bulls from Fischer’s latest story:

He doesn’t explicitly mention him by name, but Fischer strongly suggests multiple rival teams would want young players Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips included in any package for taking on LaVine’s contract.
Vucevic, who is having the most accurate shooting season of his career from all over the court (62.5% on twos, 44.9% on threes, 86.0% on free throws), should have positive trade value. One GM told Fischer he thinks the former All-Star center could net the Bulls a couple of second-round picks. The 34-year-old is earning $20MM in ’24/25, followed by $21.5MM in ’25/26.
Rival teams haven’t shown much interest in forward Patrick Williams, according to Fischer. Williams, who is currently sidelined with a foot injury, re-signed with Chicago as a restricted free agent over the summer, inking a five-year, $90MM deal.
Is Josh Giddey a lock to stay in Chicago? Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that Chicago and Giddey didn’t have any meaningful discussions about a rookie scale extension prior to October’s deadline, and Fischer hears the Bulls never even made the 22-year-old an offer. Giddey will be a restricted free agent in 2025, and his play and minutes have been inconsistent early in his Bulls tenure.
Fischer suggests contending teams might have some interest in Jevon Carter, but I’d be shocked if he has anything but negative trade value. The veteran guard didn’t play well last season in his first campaign with Chicago, he’s only played 48 total minutes in ’24/25, and he makes $6.5MM this season, with a $6.8MM player option for ’25/26 that he’s virtually certain to exercise.

Central Notes: LaVine, Cavs, Haliburton, Q. Jackson, A. Thompson

November 21st, 2024 at 6:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Zach LaVine discourse during the 2024 offseason focused less on what the Bulls guard was capable of doing on the court and more on potential red flags off of it, including his injury history, his sizable contract, and his relationship with head coach Billy Donovan. Speaking to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports earlier this week, LaVine admitted it was impossible to ignore that chatter.

“I heard everything. I read everything,” LaVine said. “Sometimes you gotta take that accountability and put a chip on your shoulder. There’s a lot of things people said I had to prove. I think my résumé speaks for itself, the type of player I am, the type of person I am, but it is what it is. You can always turn some heads.”

While there’s still some skepticism about whether LaVine is worth the $138MM he’s owed from this season through 2026/27, he has done all he can to silence his critics so far this fall, repairing his relationship with Donovan, staying relatively healthy, and playing some of the best basketball of his career. His 51.2% shooting percentage and 43.2% mark on three-pointers would be career highs if he can maintain them, and he has been a more active defender than in past seasons.

As for his contract, LaVine won’t apologize for taking the five-year, maximum-salary offer the Bulls made him in 2021, telling Goodwill that he believes he earned that deal.

“I don’t know,” LaVine said. “It’s not for me to try to make everybody like me. I’m happy for what I got, what I deserved. And some people may not feel that way and you may judge it off that. But regardless, I know who I am and what I’ve done in this league.

“… I’m in a good place and I feel sharp right now,” LaVine added. “Being able to be one of the veteran guys on the team and still being able to do what I do. Help win in any way I can. Defense one day, facilitating, whatever they call for.”

We have more from around the Central:

The Cavaliers‘ loss on Tuesday to the defending champion Celtics snapped their 15-game win streak to start the season, but the three-point defeat only emboldened the team’s belief in its itself, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). Chris Mannix of SI.com conveys as similar sentiment, writing that the measuring-stick loss proved the Cavs are for real. Cleveland bounced back with a 28-point blowout of the Pelicans on Wednesday and is now a league-best 16-1.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton continued to struggle on Wednesday, scoring just four points on 1-of-7 shooting as the team was outscored by 28 points in his 30 minutes on the floor, notes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Haliburton, who is in the first season of a five-year, maximum-salary contract, is making just 37.5% of his field goal attempts through 15 games, including 28.4% of his three-pointers. Both would be career lows by a wide margin.
The Pacers dropped to 6-9 with Wednesday’s loss to Houston, but it wasn’t all bad news for Indiana. Two-way player Quenton Jackson made his first career start and made an immediate impact, scoring 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting. “Quenton Jackson is an example of where we need everybody’s spirit to be,” head coach Rick Carlisle said, per Dopirak. “The guy is flying all over the place, playing at a ridiculously high level of intensity and unselfishness and totally surrendering to the team, you know? … For us, we just have to work at adopting that on a full-time basis and really being there for each other.”
The Pistons aren’t rushing the return of Ausar Thompson, who has yet to make his season debut after dealing with a blood clot issue, but Zach LaVine‘s performance in a Bulls win over Detroit on Monday was a reminder of how the team could benefit from reintegrating a defensive stopper like Thompson, says Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. “He’s a guy who can eliminate the other team’s best players,” J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Any time you add that to the system and the scheme and the way guys have bought into it, it just gives you an added boost. He can switch, he can guard multiple positions. We’re excited to have him back for sure.” Thompson is listed as doubtful to play in Charlotte on Thursday but is believed to be close to returning.

Central Notes: LaVine, Donovan, Bulls, Pistons, Cavs

November 15th, 2024 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

There have been reports in recent years of tension between Bulls star Zach LaVine and head coach Billy Donovan, who often didn’t see eye to eye with one another, but the relationship between LaVine and Donovan this season is as good as it’s ever been, one Bulls player tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

As Cowley writes, LaVine seems happier and more willing to buy in to Donovan’s system so far this fall. His increased engagement has been evident on the defensive end, which has typically been his Achilles heel. While LaVine still isn’t a lock-down defender, his effort level has been higher on that side of the ball this season.

“I’m definitely trying,” LaVine said of his defense. “I know what I can do on that end, especially in isolation one-on-one, and just try and make it tough on them.”

“I really respect and admire what he’s doing because he’s trying to play on both ends of the floor and he’s giving everything he has on both ends,” Donovan said.

Here’s more from around the Central:

The Bulls are just 5-7 so far this fall, but have picked up impressive road wins in Milwaukee, Memphis, and New York. Are they a little too talented to finish in the bottom 10 of the NBA standings and retain their protected 2025 first-round pick? Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic weighs that question, noting that a scenario in which the Bulls miss the playoffs but have their pick land in the 11-14 range would be a worst-case outcome.
Pointing out it took the Pistons just 13 games to get to five wins this season after it required 44 games a year ago, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) identifies Isaiah Stewart, Malik Beasley, and rookie Ron Holland as three players whose stock is up in the early going. While Cade Cunningham‘s shooting percentages (.456 FG%, .364 3PT%) are career highs, Sankofa has the former No. 1 overall pick in the “stock down” section of his article, observing that Cunningham needs to cut back on his turnovers (5.0 per game).
David Aldridge of The Athletic considers whether the 13-0 Cavaliers are built for postseason success, while Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda takes a look at the role that Georges Niang, whom head coach Kenny Atkinson refers to as a crucial “connector,” plays in Cleveland’s game plan.

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