Report: Zach Lavine Not Seeing 'Eye-to-Eye' with Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are not seeing 'eye-to-eye' with Zach LaVine as they continue to tumble down the Eastern Conference standings this season

All Raptors Staff | Dec 20, 2022

The Toronto Raptors aren't the only disappointing Eastern Conference team that could be poised for a shakeup in the New Year. It appears there's some trouble in paradise for the Chicago Bulls, according to The Athletic.

"Multiple league sources and sources close to the organization say LaVine and the Bulls are not seeing eye-to-eye," Shams Charania and Darnell Mayberry wrote. "Over the past few weeks, there’s been a palpable feeling across various parts of the franchise of a disconnect over LaVine’s situation in Chicago."

The 27-year-old LaVine is coming back from offseason knee surgery and hasn't quite looked himself so far this season. He's lost some of the explosiveness that once made him the NBA Dunk Contest champ, his points per game have dipped to 21.8, the lowest of his career since 2017-18, and he's shooting just 44.3% from the field, also the lowest in six seasons.

Most concerning is Chicago's -5.4 net rating when its two best players, LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are on the court together. The two have yet to find chemistry together and, according to The Athletic, have met for multiple one-on-one, face-to-face meetings together.

"They maintain a good personal relationship. But their meetings have not led to in-game results so far, with a level of on-court, stylistic tension simply festering throughout the season and being magnified due to the win-loss record," per Charania and Mayberry.

Considering Chicago's 11-18 record this season, it's possible changes are coming in the not-too-distant future.

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