The DeMar DeRozan-Zach LaVine pairing is seen as one of the NBA's most awkward fits

Although the two Bulls stars won’t admit it, their pairing is one of the most awkward in the NBA.

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On the surface, the Chicago Bulls tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine brings a lot of firepower that, in theory, could win you a lot of games. After all, these are two All-Stars and 20-point-a-night scorers who could take over games at any given moment. However, as lofty as their individual numbers are, it hasn’t translated into many wins for the Bulls.

In fact, after teaming up to win 46 games last season, the Bulls dropped to just 40 victories this season and failed to advance to the NBA Playoffs. And while the continued absence of ace guard Lonzo Ball has a lot to do with the Bulls’ regression, the primary reason is the highly awkward fit between DeMar and Zach.

Similar skill sets

Bleacher Report recently took a look into the league’s most awkward tandems, and to nobody’s surprise, the Bulls’ duo made it to the list. This is because their best asset—combustible scoring—overlaps with one another, resulting in poor spacing.

“Over the last two years, they have averaged 24.6 and 26.2 points, respectively. And both are decent distributors for their positions. But ultimately, both are score-first wings, with one featuring an analytically unfriendly shot profile,” Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report wrote.

Need a steady point guard

There’s no denying how talented and gifted scorers DeRozan and LaVine are. But as this past season showed, they need a steady and reliable point guard to take the pressure off of them.

Chicago’s starting point guard was the pesky and fiery Pat Beverley, who proved to be a tremendous fit with the Bulls’ two stars. However, Pat Bev is a free agent, and what happens if he doesn't stay in free agency? If the Bulls can't re-sign him, they have to look for a different option at point guard.

“Both of these players have plenty of scoring talent, but with apologies to Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Beverley, this season made it clear that the Bulls need a real point guard bring a little order to the attack,” the report continued.