Bulls' LaVine to miss beginning of season as he continues knee rehab
Zach LaVine will have to wait longer than he hoped to make his Chicago Bulls debut.
The explosive combo guard provided an injury update in July, saying he's ahead of schedule in his knee rehab and should be good to go for training camp.
However, with little reason to rush the 22-year-old back onto the court, the Bulls are erring on the side of caution and keeping him out until around November.
LaVine suffered a torn ACL in February, which cut short his best campaign yet. He averaged 18.9 points on 45.9 percent shooting from the field and 38.7 percent from long range to go along with 3.4 rebounds and three assists per game for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who traded him on draft day in the Jimmy Butler blockbuster.
Considering the Bulls are rebuilding, their conservative approach to the high-flyer's recovery makes sense.
LaVine, who's expected to be an important part of Chicago's future, said the injury won't change his game. In fact, he told reporters Monday he's running faster and jumping higher than he did before tearing his ACL.
The two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion is owed $3.2 million this season in the final year of his rookie deal.