Zach LaVine might join the elite 50/40/90 club

Zach LaVine might join a rare club.

© Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

There's little reason for optimism in the City of Broad Shoulders for the upcoming season. After all, they brought the same cast of characters back from last season’s middling team, which means perhaps more of the same mediocre results. However, Bleacher Report predicts that, albeit there won't be much team success in Chicago next season, the team’s All-Star guard Zach LaVine may join an elite club.

Elite offensive talent

Although LaVine’s elite offensive success has done little to impact team success, his scoring efficiency and ability are undeniable. A 6-foot-5 wing with hops for days, subtle quickness, and impeccable accuracy from the outside, LaVine is the prototypical 21st-century guard. 

And if he can achieve the milestone of joining the 50/40/90 club next season—which suggests that a player has shot at least 50% from the field, 40% from three-point range, and 90% from the line—he will cement his place among the league’s stars.

“Zach LaVine may not have the richest resume when it comes to team success, but he is clearly an elite offensive talent. The 28-year-old is on a five-year run of averaging at least 23 points and four assists every season. Only seven other players can say the same, per StatHead, and they are some of the top point producers on the planet,” Zach Buckley wrote.

What he needs to do

Getting into the elite 50-40-90 club is such a tough endeavor that only nine players in NBA history have achieved the feat. The list of players includes renowned marksmen such as Mark Price, Reggie Miller, Kyrie Irving, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Steve Nash, Larry Bird, and Steph Curry. Buckley says LaVine is enough of a deadshot to make his way onto that list soon.

“There are a slew of skilled shot-makers on that list, and LaVine is one of them. He is enough of a net-shredder to join the exclusive 50/40/90 club. He would need to up his free-throw connection rate a bit, but he's already had one season in which he shot 50-plus percent overall and 40-plus percent from range,” Buckley added.