There's major trouble with the Chicago Bulls at the moment as shooting guard/small forward Zach LaVine is butting heads with his teammates.
At the start of the season, the Chicago Bulls' impressive line-up had many expecting a strong showing from them this winter. Instead, the Chicago outfit has struggled to garner much momentum on the court. Despite an all-star line-up including LaVine, center Nikola Vucevic, and standout shooting guard/small forward DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls are at a meager 12-18 right now.
DeRozan and LaVine in particular are simply not finding their groove as teammates and it's impacting the team as a whole. There have reportedly been multiple locker room meetings and discussions to resolve the lack of chemistry the pair have displayed on the court of late. Rumors have abounded that LaVine is having difficulty working cohesively with his teammates in general of late.
In a recent interview with The Atlantic, LaVine shared some thoughts on the matter:
“There’s a certain level of frustration in people trying to figure out what we can do to help right the ship,” LaVine explained. “I think with the players that we have, we try to put it on each other to right the ship. We have those type of guys, those type of mentalities where each of us have been number one options on a team before and then we all come together collectively."
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What's next for the Chicago Bulls?
Beyond LaVine's recent issues with his teammates, there's another key problem that has affected the Chicago Bulls all season. Point guard Lonzo Ball has been out all season due to long-running knee issues. His long-term absence has been sorely felt, with fellow point guards Ayo Dusunmo and Alex Caruso simply not living up to Ball's level this season.
Their most recent game saw them pick up a 113-103 win over the Miami Heat. This much-needed win broke a rough four-game losing skid the team had been on. In that time, they ate noticeable lopsided losses to the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves at 114-91 and 150-126, respectively.
Tonight's game sees the Chicago Bulls take on the Atlanta Hawks. If the team succeeds and begins putting together a winning streak, perhaps the behind-the-scenes talks between LaVine and DeRozan are working. If not, tonight's game, for which the Bulls are listed as the underdogs, could be more of the disappointing same fans have come to expect from the Chicago outfit this season.
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