CHICAGO (670 The Score) – As much as he enjoyed the comfort of returning to Chicago and seeing old friends, Wednesday evening was too familiar for two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine in one key way. LaVine had a big game individually but suffered a loss on the United Center hardwood.
His Kings lost 126-113 to the Bulls, for whom he played from 2017 until this past February, when Chicago traded him to Sacramento after their marriage had run its course. LaVine continued his hot start to the young season by scoring a game-high 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, but the Bulls took control of the game with a strong third quarter as the already defensively challenged Kings also ran out of gas on the second end of a back-to-back set.
With the victory, the Bulls improved to 4-0 and remained one of four undefeated teams in the NBA. With the loss, the Kings fell to 1-4 in what projects to be a brutal Western Conference. Afterward, LaVine reflected on his time in Chicago, but it also felt like he could’ve been talking about his current situation in Sacramento.
“You have to ride the roller coaster,” LaVine said. “I’ve always put Chicago at the forefront and tried to do the best I could for them. You’re going to have ups and downs in life, and you just got to learn how to deal with them."
The Bulls were 248-349 (.415) in the regular season in LaVine’s tenure in Chicago, and they made the playoffs just once in his seven-and-a-half seasons with the organization. They were mired in a rebuild for his first four seasons before becoming more competitive.
“I know I did a lot of good in Chicago in a Bulls uniform, in the community, as a person, as a teammate,” LaVine said. “I know the good I did. I just wish I could’ve won more here, but sometimes you do the best you can with it. None of us try to lose. I damn sure don’t. You play the cards that you’re dealt, and you play them to the best of your ability. I feel like I did that, and I appreciate each and every moment that I’ve had here.
“It’s nothing but love from me. My tenure here, I’ve enjoyed every piece of it, and I won’t forget that.
"We just didn't get it done. And sometimes you have to live with it. You have to look yourself in the mirror, and everybody else does as well, of figuring out why it didn't work. Each and every day, we were trying our best to. But in this league, when it doesn't happen ... you restart, you rebuild, you go younger. That's what they did. I respect their decision. I'm glad to see how good they're going right now."
The Bulls played a tribute video for the 30-year-old LaVine during a timeout in the first quarter, after which he thumped his heart and waved to the crowd in a show of appreciation as he got an ovation.
“This felt like I came home,” LaVine said. “I love Chicago. I love you guys. Through ups and downs. I’ve grown my family here. I’ve had major moments, low points. I became a man here. It was very appreciative, but I think the love is reciprocal.
“I’ll always love Chicago. I love the guys over there, I love Billy (Donovan). I’m really excited for them.”
There was a time after LaVine was traded to Chicago in 2017 that he represented excitement and hope for the Bulls’ future. These days, that distinction belongs to second-year forward Matas Buzelis, who scored a team-high 27 points Wednesday to help the Bulls get off to their best start since 2021-’22. That marked the last time Chicago made the playoffs and the high point of LaVine’s professional career.
“The athleticism and the mindset was already there,” LaVine said of Buzelis, with whom he was teammates for about seven months. “Every time I came back and worked at the (Advocate Center) at night time, he was asking me, ‘Can I come in with you? Can I come in and work with you?’ You’re just going to see his development get better and better. He can do it all. The more he hones in his shot and shot creation off the dribble, he’s a three-level scorer. Combo that with his defensive ability and his ability to get to the hoop – I’m not surprised. I just want him to keep getting better.”
For his part, the 21-year-old Buzelis credited LaVine for being an “amazing role model” and expressed an appreciation for LaVine always answering his texts and calls to provide advice these days. Buzelis has plenty to be happy about, as the Bulls have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA in the early going.
“It’s a blessing,” Buzelis said. “That’s what god had for us, and we’re just going to keep working, stay consistent. Never too high, never too low – keep working.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.