The Chicago Bulls are off to a fast 4-0 start, but the real tests come the next three weeks — after a soft schedule to open the season, Chicago’s next six games are New York, Utah, Boston, Philadelphia (twice) and Brooklyn.
Zach LaVine plans to be there for all of it despite a ligament tear on his thumb, a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic and confirmed by K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine has a small ligament tear in the thumb of his non-shooting hand but intends to play through the injury, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. It’s a matter of pain tolerance and LaVine wants to play as Chicago starts the season 4-0.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 27, 2021
LaVine was wincing and shaking this hand after taking a whack on it during the Raptors game. https://t.co/GocHY8d3sQ
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) October 27, 2021
Because it’s on his non-shooting hand, it could impact ball handling but not LaVine’s shot. LaVine wants to play through it, but he and the team are taking a “let’s see how this goes” position for now.
LaVine on potentially missing game(s): "I don't want to put myself in any danger. I don't have all the information on it yet. We'll see how I feel tomorrow and going from there. You know me, I try to play through everything. If I'm able to, I will. If not we'll see how it goes." https://t.co/Mt0shMiM2Y
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) October 27, 2021
LaVine, an All-Star last season and an Olympian this past summer, is averaging 25.5 points a game and shooting 44.4% on his 6.8 3-pointers a game.
LaVine is a free agent after this season, and other teams are monitoring the situation, but the buzz around the league has been he is expected to sign a max contract to stay with the Bulls. NBC Chicago’s Johnson went into more detail on why he will remain in a recent podcast.
