Zach LaVine has been seen as somewhat of a one-way player to this point of his NBA career, but he is hoping to change that narrative this season.
In an interview this week with The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry, the Chicago Bulls guard said that he is focusing on improvement on the defensive end.
“I’m just tired of people talking s— about my defense,” said LaVine. “I’ve always been a good on-ball defender. But there’s no reason I can be this good offensively and not be that good on the defensive end. So I’m taking more pride in it. I’m pretty sure it’ll show. I’ll make sure of that.”
LaVine, 24, put up career-highs across the board last season with averages of 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. Advanced metrics had him as one of the worst defenders in the league at his position however, as he posted an overwhelmingly negative defensive plus-minus (1.87, per ESPN).
But the former UCLA star has proven to be a man of many talents, so there is no reason why he can’t become a plus defender if he puts his energies into it.
