Zach LaVine is all in on Chicago Bulls' read-and-react offense

On a squad with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic, it's tough to imagine an offense being sluggish and predictable. But that was exactly what it looked like at times for the Bulls, especially after lead guard Lonzo Ball went out with a knee injury in January.

However, LaVine expects their offense to go a little smoother this season with the system head coach Billy Donovan has put in place.

Read and react

Putting the ball in the basket has never been an issue for the three players mentioned above. After all, they've made a career out of it. But with the Chicago Bulls' success firmly in mind, LaVine is fully committed to the team's new read-and-react offense, which focuses on smart passes, fast breaks, and getting everyone involved.

"We've all been main options. When things get a little tougher in the game, I think that's when we look to our own ability to try to implement ourselves. But we need to look more inward and play more as a unit. That's what we're working on," said LaVine.

On a team with so many multi-level scorers, striking a balance between taking on a defender one-on-one and finding the open man with quick passes will be crucial.

"What's different is probably less holding the ball. From what I've seen, we're still going to be able to get our isolation touches. But it's a lot more read and react, quick decision-making," shared LaVine.

Bad shooting night, but a season-high 10 assists for Zach LaVine tonight against the Mavs.

Nice placement on pocket/bounce passes, and we're seeing more flashes of legit manipulation (last assist in the video). pic.twitter.com/utMGJp9USv
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) January 17, 2021

Leaning on veterans to figure it out

Donovan understands that alpha scorers like LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic will want to use their individual talents to put points on the board. So he's counting on his veteran players to help implement this new system and show teammates what it takes to succeed.

"For Zach, you've got to look that it's always been about the team. My first year here and just calling it like it was, he was the only guy who could really make a play at the end of the game off the dribble. We just didn't have breakdown guards," said Donovan.

"Now you add DeMar and Vooch and some other pieces, this is different. All these guys look at ways our team can get better and they can get better. And they have enough confidence in their own offensive ability that they'll figure out where those spots are at," he added.

The Bulls are certainly a team to watch this season. If they can find the right balance between individual scoring and teamwork, there's no telling how far they can go in the playoffs. LaVine is excited for what's to come, and he knows that his teammates also share that same enthusiasm.

At the end of the day, it's all about winning games, and there are no shortcuts to success. With the read-and-react offense in place, LaVine believes that the Bulls have what it takes to go all the way this season. Let's see if they can live up to his expectations.