Zach LaVine

The 2021-22 season was a big one for LaVine as he prepared to enter free agency. The Bulls made significant moves around him, bringing in DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso to make a push for a playoff spot. It was by far the best collection of talent that LaVine had ever played with, especially when you also factor in that they traded for Nikola Vucevic the season prior. The Bulls accomplished their mission, finally making it back into the playoffs. However, injuries hampered them by the time they got there. Lavine dealt with a nagging injury for much of the regular season. Due to the knee injury and the influx of talent around him, LaVine saw his scoring average drop to 24.4 points per game, three points lower than the previous season. He was also less efficient, shooting 47.6 percent from the field. Still, it's difficult to complain about his production for fantasy, considering he also chipped in averages of 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 three-pointers. The Bulls' moves enticed LaVine to stick around in the Windy City, signing him to a max contract extension in the offseason. He had surgery to correct his knee issue, which should not prevent him from being ready for the beginning of the 2022-23 season. He's still worthy of an early selection in fantasy drafts, but he hasn't played more than 67 games in a season since 2015-16 when he was still on the Timberwolves.

LaVine's steady improvement continued last season, as he ranked 16th in fantasy on a per-game basis -- the highest mark of his career. The uber-athletic guard averaged 27.4 points on 51/42/85 shooting while adding 5.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 35.1 minutes. He had plenty of big games, including five performances with at least 40 points and a 50-point game against the Hawks. That led to him making his first All-Star Game. Heading into 2021-22, LaVine's usage could take a slight dip. Chicago made splashes in the offseason by acquiring both Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan. Both players are capable of taking playmaking responsibilities away from LaVine, which may be a positive for the team but a negative for LaVine's fantasy value. Nikola Vucvic will eat up some post-up possessions as well. It wouldn't be surprising to see LaVine's efficiency stay steady, or possibly improve, but the expectation should be that he steps back from the 30.9 percent usage rate he's enjoyed during his four years with the Bulls. It's still justifiable to draft LaVine in the late-second to early-third round given his potential for another season of an efficient 25/5/5. Just don't expect him to take a significant step forward despite being in his early prime.

LaVine continued to take steps forward during his third season in Chicago, increasing his production in points (25.5), rebounds (4.8), steals (1.5) and threes (3.1). He was the clear No. 1 option for the Bulls, launching 20.0 shots per game, well ahead of Coby White's 12.2. LaVine's usage rate (31.7 percent) ranked ninth in the league, and he averaged 4.2 assists per game, as well. Fantasy managers were rewarded with late-second to early-third-round value on a per-game basis in eight-category leagues. It's possible that LaVine will exceed that rank in 2020-21, as he's entering his prime (25 years old) and has a new coach in Billy Donovan, who could be more open to using a run-and-gun system. That would only serve to help LaVine given that he's one of the most athletic players in the league and could be a force in a system tailored to his strengths. Even if the changes aren't that drastic, fantasy managers should feel comfortable banking on LaVine to at least meet his production from last season.

LaVine had the most productive season of his career in 2018-19, though he still dealt with missed time due to injury, playing in just 63 games. He posted a career-high in points (24.7) per 36 minutes and scored at a much more efficient clip than he did the year prior. LaVine shot a career-best 46.7 percent from the floor on 18.8 shots per 36 (second most of his career) while draining a respectable 2.0 threes per game at 37.4 percent from deep. Both his rebound (4.9) and assist (4.7) averages per 36 were the second-highest of his five-year career, and LaVine's efficiency extended to the charity stripe, where he shot 83.2 percent. But LaVine will have increased competition on offense this season. The arrival of offensive-minded guard Coby White (20.3 points per 36 minutes at UNC) may reduce LaVine's offensive opportunities, as could a full season next to Otto Porter, who appeared in just 15 games for Chicago after being traded by the Wizards. Lauri Markkanen, who averaged career-highs in points (18.7) and rebounds (9.0) last season, may continue to ascend, further limiting LaVine's upside. However, Chicago was one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA last season (112.8 Defensive Rating), and the Bulls may need to continue relying on scoring to stay in games. Ultimately, LaVine should still be a valuable fantasy contributor, even if he takes on a lesser offensive role. LaVine has played in just 134 of a possible 246 games over the last three seasons, so his availability presents some concern, but has proven to be capable of a high-usage role when on the court.

Coming off an ACL tear, LaVine was limited to 24 games last season -- his first campaign with Chicago. While he managed to score 16.7 points per game, he struggled with efficiency, hitting just 38.3 percent of his looks. However, it’s important to note that he took 19.5 shots per 36 minutes, which could be an indication of what’s to come in 2018-19. And, he shot 45.5 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from three during his final 129 games in Minnesota. If he can come marginally close to those percentages again while maintaining last year’s volume, LaVine could be in for a massive scoring bump. Last season, he also managed to rack up a career-high 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per 36 minutes. The assist rate was his best mark since his rookie year, where he posted 5.2 dimes per 36 while playing 94 percent of his minutes at point guard. Still just 23 years old and on a fast-paced team where he'll be a focal point, LaVine will have no shortage of opportunities to improve on his game, and should see his Fantasy stock buoy compared to 2017-18.

The Timberwolves had high expectations for LaVine going into the 2016-17 season. LaVine started off the year strong, but unfortunately tore the ACL in his left knee at the start of February, ending his year prematurely. That limited the 22-year-old guard to just 47 games, though he was on pace for career highs with averages of 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 three-pointers. In addition, he added 3.0 assists, while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and a respectable 38.7 percent from the three-point line. Looking forward to the 2017-18 season, LaVine will get his first action outside of Minnesota, as he was dealt to the Bulls in June as part of the Jimmy Butler trade. LaVine claims he's ahead of schedule in his recovery and should be good to go for training camp, but the Bulls are likely to slow play his recovery considering they're officially in rebuild mode. Still, once healthy, LaVine should take on an even bigger role than what he had with the Timberwolves. Dwyane Wade is one of only a few proven scorers left on the Bulls roster, though it wouldn't be surprising if Chicago ultimately parted ways with him considering the current rebuild. That would ultimately bring even more opportunities for LaVine, who appears to be one of the building blocks of the future considering his age and talent level. With all that said, LaVine could certainly get off to a slow start following such a devastating injury, while also having to learn the personnel of a new team. That could mean some struggles early on in the year, but once comfortable, LaVine will have the ability to take off on a roster void of elite scoring threats, giving him plenty of potential to build on the strong numbers he started with last year in Minnesota before the knee injury.

LaVine took a step forward in his second NBA season, playing in all 82 games and averaging 14.0 points, 3.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 45.2 percent from the floor and 38.9 percent from distance. After spending most of his rookie year at the point guard spot, LaVine transitioned to a role as the team’s main shooting guard and started 33 games. While LaVine remains an option at point guard, it appears the team’s main priority is developing him as a shooting guard. The addition of Kris Dunn should only reinforce that notion, and the team reportedly deflected several trade offers involving LaVine throughout the offseason. After averaging 28.0 minutes per game last season, the 21-year-old projects see a mild increase in playing time in 2016-17. That should translate to slight increases in the counting stat categories, though it remains to be seen if LaVine’s improvement as a three-point shooter is truly sustainable. If it is, his ceiling, both in real-life terms and as a fantasy commodity, will rise.

LaVine's rookie season was an interesting one. The 19-year-old rookie was thrust into action after Ricky Rubio went down with an ankle injury, and he flashed some serious skills, including a masterful performance in the dunk contest on All-Star Weekend. When it was all said and done, LaVine owned averages of 10.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 three-pointers in 25 minutes per game. LaVine's 42 percent shooting from the field or 34 percent shooting from three-point-range aren't going to jump off the page, but considering he was a project coming out of college, his performance was above what was expected in a season in which he was asked to start 40 games as a rookie. The future is bright for LaVine going forward, assuming he continues to progress. No longer burdened with being asked to do too much too early, the 6-5 LaVine should have the luxury of seeing backup minutes at either guard spot. He has the athleticism to become a solid scorer and defender and has reportedly been working on improving his outside shot, a development that would certainly boost his fantasy value. For now, LaVine will probably only be a contributor in deeper leagues, but that could change as the season goes on.

Zach LaVine was selected by Minnesota with the the 13th pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft out of UCLA. The 6-5 shooting guard has great athleticism and showed in limited playing time for the Bruins that he could score in bunches and finish fast breaks with authority. In his lone season with the Bruins, LaVine averaged 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. He had some of his best games early in the season, including a combined 39 points on 14-of-18 from the field in wins over Nevada and Northwestern in the Las Vegas Invitational. LaVine quieted down in conference play and only scored in double figures in four of his last 18 games. He did hit a season-high six three-pointers in a February 27 loss to Oregon. LaVine's rookie season will be about skill development. He may spend some time in the D-league, but the Timberwolves are not very deep at shooting guard behind Kevin Martin. LaVine will need to learn how to defend professional players, but he certainly has the athleticism to be a good defender. Look for him to make some waves around the time of the dunk contest, but he may not get enough playing time to be much of a fantasy factor as a rookie.