Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine to miss 3-4 more weeks with foot inflammation
Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Zach LaVine is expected to miss three to four more weeks with foot inflammation.
The Bulls announced the news Wednesday night after a 111-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets. LaVine missed Wednesday's game and the previous two against the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bulls initially announced on Dec. 1, after he missed the Bucks game, that LaVine was expected to miss a week with what the team described as foot soreness.
The issue dates back to Nov. 22, when it sidelined him against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He then struggled in a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics on Nov. 28. He left the game after playing 25 minutes on a 1-for-9 shooting night from the floor produced just two points. He hasn't played since.
LaVine is in the midst of his worst shooting and scoring season in six years. In 18 games, LaVine's averaging 21 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 44.3% from the field and 33.6% from 3-point distance.
His 3-point shooting would amount to a career low over the course of a full season. His scoring average and field-goal percentage are his worst since he averaged 16.7 points and shot 38.3% from the field in the 2017-18 season. Since then, LaVine has emerged as one of the NBA's best scoring guards and made two All-Star teams.
His down season so far has coincided with larger struggles in Chicago in an 8-14 start. Only a three-game win streak has moved the Bulls past the Hornets into 12th place in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls' season has been troubled from the start when a 20-point loss to the Thunder on opening night prompted a players-only meeting where they asked head coach Billy Donovan to leave. LaVine later refuted the "players-only meeting" descriptor in an interview with Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill.