In an era of load management, the Chicago Bulls "Big 3" stand out

The Bulls' "Big 3" are breaking the mold in an era defined by load management and absentee NBA stars.

© David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA finally took a stand against load management and absentee stars when the Board of Governors approved a new policy that tackled new rest guidelines for players, especially every team's stars. While some teams' aces might balk at these new rules, the Bulls' "Big 3" don't see this affecting their workload, considering how much they love to play, whether at home or on the road.

Hate missing games

When you're star wingman takes the lead and says how much he hates missing games, it sets the tone for the rest of the team. When DeMar DeRozan missed three games due to a strained quad earlier this year, he couldn’t wait to return to the floor.

"I just hate missing games more than anything, man," DeRozan said. "My whole career has been based on being out there playing, no matter how I felt physically. Whether it was good, bad, whatever, I always prided myself to be out there on the floor."

The proof is in the pudding: DeRozan has played all 82 regular season games twice in his career but has 10 seasons of at least 74 games. If that’s not a commitment to playing, I don't know what is.

Meanwhile, Vucevic is coming off a 2022-2023 campaign that saw him play 82 games for the first time in his career.

Playing through the pain

After a knee procedure sidelined him for most of the offseason last year, Zach LaVine had to be load-managed for the early part of the season as he tried to get back to full strength. That plan didn't last too long as the high-flyer logged 2,768 minutes in 77 games played last season—a career-high for the former slam-dunk champion.

NBC Sports Chicago's Bulls insider K.C. Johnson remarked that the Bulls' approach to the game should be touted.

"In this era of load management, the approach of LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic should be lauded," Johnson wrote.