One day after foot pain derailed his plans to return to the Chicago Bulls’ lineup, Zach LaVine denied he’s sitting out for any other reason than his current injury.
LaVine said he hoped to be cleared to suit up Wednesday, when the Bulls bagged a 111-100 win over the visiting Charlotte Hornets to run their winning streak to three games since the All-Star was injured.
“The main thing I’m thinking about is getting my foot right, help these guys continue winning and playing like this,” LaVine said. “Am I still a part of this team and very committed? Yeah. I’ve got a Bulls jersey on and committed here. For as long as I’ll be here I’ll still support and love Chicago and go out there and play my heart out for these guys. That’s never gone change.”
LaVine, 28, is averaging 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists through 18 games this season. He exploded for a career-high 51 points against the Detroit Pistons in a win on Oct. 28.
The Bulls had lost five straight and were 1-9 in the 10-game stretch before LaVine’s injury.
“Whatever may have sparked it, if it was me off the court and that’s a narrative that people want to run with it, we’ve won three games, I’m happy for it,” LaVine said Thursday. “Hopefully I can get this foot right to get back out there and help my guys. I’ve been in the locker room every day and out here training trying to get back out there to help everybody out because it’s fun when you’re winning. This last three-game winning streak shows what we were trying to do at training camp.”
The 13th overall pick in the 2014 draft by the Timberwolves, LaVine spent three seasons in Minnesota before he was dealt to Chicago in the Jimmy Butler trade.
The two-time All-Star has career averages of 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 573 games (486 starts) over 10 NBA seasons.
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