Starter or Sixth Man: Why does another Chicago Bulls season with Zach LaVine make for a must-watch?

Zach LaVine will wear the Chicago Bulls threads on NBA Media Day. The shooting guard was, and will continue to be a trade rumor staple despite his dwindled stocks as the rebuilding Windy City outfit will see him suit up for another season — however long he will be there for.

Chances are that LaVine will find a new home perhaps by the end of the trade deadline if he finds a team, and manages to stay healthy and keep the Bulls in the midfield.

By no means are the Bulls a championship contender this season. The last inkling of the side possibly making a deeper run in the playoffs was when they had their 'Big 3' of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and LaVine taking the floor with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso richly complementing the play.

Two seasons later, DeRozan is back in the West as is Caruso. Ball is yet to be tried and tested on the floor, while Vucevic and LaVine's fit within the new-look Bulls system is a head-scratcher.

With the 2024-25 season less than a month away, Bulls faithful will have ample questions that need answering — the core of which is Zach LaVine.

The Bulls will play a side featuring Josh Giddey, their first move this summer after bagging the Australian guard in exchange for Caruso. They next added rookie Matas Buzelis with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. With Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Patrick Williams in the fold, Chicago will have a new-look starting five, compromising experience for youth.

Vucevic and Zach LaVine remain as senior figures, but the question will be who they will be replaced by, or whether there are already plans in effect to incorporate them and focus on building renewed chemistry.

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Zach LaVine set to have a decisive season with Bulls whether he starts or ends up with a sixth-man role

Zach LaVine LaVine's return to the Bulls fold makes for an intriguing storyline. The guard has maintained a professional approach about all the rumor mils churning about his future with the side. Now, with a team that has a starting five without him (and they did so for the better half of the past season), where and how will LaVine fit in?

The safest to assume is that the front office will trade LaVine when a win-win deal comes along. His five-year, $215 million deal is an anchor, and most teams, even if ready to take on the deal will worry about his health. That said, he still is part of one of the best talent management agencies and Klutch has a history of manufacturing some massive deals.

Zach LaVine or Coby White: Who will be the Bulls shooting guard this season?

On the floor, how much of the offense is routed through their team's leading score is another key question. Playing his 11th season in the NBA, LaVine brings in the experience that the Bulls will need and now that he looks healthy, he can be a chief shot creator and the focal point of their offense.

But the team has visibly played better without him on the hardwood, the new season means the Bulls looking for the missing spark, and LaVine looking to restore some good perceptions to his career. So whether it's a starting role, or whether he is consigned to sixth-man duties that he may have no choice but to accept, LaVine is one of the stars who can change the balance of the game for the Bulls.

A prime season for LaVine still isn't enough to put the Chicago Bulls into a top-five seed. That said, another injury-riddled run or form dip will not help his case when he is looking to rebuild his respect in the league. Quite simply, this season is a lot more crucial for Zach LaVine than it is for the Bulls.