LaVine ranks 75th in Sports Illustrated Top 100 NBA players

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Remember the ESPN Top 100 NBA player list that ranked Zach LaVine 56th and set Bulls Twitter ablaze?

Well, the Bulls star checked in at No. 75 in Sports Illustrated's annual projection of the best 100 NBA players for the upcoming season. Otto Porter Jr. ranked 94th, the only other Bulls representative.

Here's the logic for each:

Otto Porter Jr., No. 94

Sports Illustrated: Porter doesn’t exactly provide the most bang for your buck out of any player in our Top 100. He’s logged just 52 games in the last two seasons, and he’s on the books for $28 million in 2020–21. But despite an underwhelming tenure in Chicago thus far, Porter remains an intriguing piece for this season and beyond. If the Bulls find their way in the playoff chase this spring, Porter could play a crucial role. When healthy, he’s shown flashes as an elite three-and-D guy, sporting an impressive three-point stroke for a player of his size. Porter is one of just five players to shoot over 42% from three in the last four seasons (min. 400 makes), and he sports the size to defend larger forwards and the occasional big man. His fit in Chicago specifically is a bit curious. The Bulls are flush with forwards after drafting Patrick Williams, and there isn’t a deep collection of playmakers on the roster. Porter is a quality stationary wing, but he provides little off the bounce. Perhaps he can make an impact on a contender via a trade before the deadline.

Zach LaVine, No. 75

Sports Illustrated: Volume scorers are perhaps the trickiest players to place in an exercise like this, and there may be no better example than LaVine, who placed 11th in the league with a career-high 25.5 points per game. As he’s matured, he’s curtailed some of his mid-range proclivities in favor of more threes and rim attempts, which has been a step in the right direction. Doing what he’s done is not an easy task, and capable shot-creators with his size and explosiveness are few and far between. Whether his preferred style of play—which has never involved much defense—can run conducive to team success is still the question hanging over his real value. He’s not an elite jump shooter or play finisher, nor is he a free-throw-drawing monster, and creating for others has never been a major piece of his identity, either. If he’s stretched himself to his limits putting the ball in the basket, LaVine will need to evolve in a different direction to make the most of his considerable ability. He remains one of the most impressive athletes in the NBA, and his ability to create for himself could still be meaningful to a winning team. His prime years may be defined by his capacity to adjust.

It's hard to quibble with Porter's ranking, given his struggles with injury since joining the Bulls. And other core members such as Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White have a good deal to prove this season before potentially breaking these ranks.

As for LaVine, his first season under Billy Donovan provides an opportunity to flip his national perception. And as with all things in this league, that will begin in the win-loss column.

“I hear a lot of stuff, I let a lot of things drive me,” LaVine said recently. “At the end of the day, I know what I bring to the table. I've been, I'm one of the hardest working guys. You know, sometimes you're not, you know, given certain things because of your guys’ record. But if you want to be a great player you have to lead your team to wins and I want to do that."

 

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