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It's about time Zach LaVine is finally a well-deserved All-Star

  • Writer: Bella Michaels
    Bella Michaels
  • Feb 26, 2021
  • 3 min read

Photo Courtesy of the Chicago Bulls, NBA


From the touching video the Bulls put together to the constant celebratory tweets, this week has been all about Zach LaVine finally being named an All-Star, and I'm all for it.





He's been campaigning for this very moment for a while, but this season, he's really made a statement.


With a Bulls team plagued by an injured front court and an inconsistent point guard, LaVine has led his team to the No. 6 seed in an interesting Eastern Conference. Four and a half games are separating the No. 4 seed and the No. 14 spot, the 15-5 Indiana Pacers and the 12-21 Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively.


While all the LaVine stans are celebrating his All-Star accolade, others are arguing that players like Trae Young, Devin Booker and Khris Middleton got snubbed.


My close friend and national NBA writer for the Washington Post, Ben Golliver, called me out on his podcast "Greatest of all Talk" on Wednesday. He was enraged about LaVine making All-Star, while Middleton didn't.



Video from Bella Michaels' IG story. Hear full conversation on "Greatest of all Talk" podcast.


"I have a really close friend and she's a gigantic LaVine stan," Golliver said in episode 121 of his podcast. "I mean full simp, from Chicago, is so excited to have him back, writes about him on a pretty regular basis. She just sends me [his] stuff constantly and I've gotten to a point now where I can't directly engage."


As I've been saying for the past couple years, LaVine deserves it. Not to say that a player like Young isn't deserving, too. But, if you compare his stats to LaVine's this season, it's obvious who deserved the spot more.


Young only topped LaVine in one area, assists per game. Young is averaging 27.2 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and 9.5 assists this season.


Meanwhile, LaVine is hitting career highs and definitely making a case towards getting that max contract deal, since his name is now up there with the greats like Steph Curry, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.





He's advanced on his playmaking skills and also improved defensively under head coach Billy Donovan. Right now, he's one of the only reasons fans are actually excited to watch Bulls games again, so unless a huge deal comes up, the Bulls should not be looking to trade him.


LaVine is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2022, so in order to keep him the Bulls could use cap space this offseason to offer a max extension that would pay him nearly $152 million over four years.


While some may argue that he's not All-Star material, he's the only reason the Bulls are even relevant right now. He's putting up career-high numbers and has been through a lot.


He suffered an ACL injury back when he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he's had six different coaches in seven seasons. Those are things that could impact a player's development, but he continued to be the best he could be.





Overall this season, LaVine is sixth in the NBA in scoring and averaging 31.1 points per game in February. He's the only top scorer in the Eastern Conference to play in every game.


He is only one of two players to be averaging 28 points per game or more while shooting 50% or more from the field and 43% or more from behind the arc this season. Kevin Durant is the only other player doing so. Another NBA great.


Many players were vocal about their opinions on LaVine becoming an All-Star:





May the social media celebrations continue.




 
 
 

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