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Breaking down Zach LaVine’s improvement in his rookie season

By Drew Mahowald

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While there has been a lot of talk about Andrew Wiggins this season as “that rookie in Minnesota”, people have easily forgotten about another talented rookie that made some serious noise towards the end of the 2014-15 NBA regular season.

All season, the Timberwolves faithful has mostly bashed Zach LaVine for his turnovers offensively and his laziness defensively as well as his overall weak court awareness. However, especially in the last month of the season, LaVine showed some serious potential and has really grown as a player.

At the beginning of the season the bashing was with good reason as LaVine really struggled to get used to the flow of the NBA game. Defensively, he was lost, especially when it came to off-ball defense and defending the pick-and-roll. Offensively, he became known as “LaVine the turnover machine”. Although these areas are still weaknesses in his game, LaVine has undoubtedly shown improvement in these areas.

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LaVine’s offensive improvement throughout the season is very evident. In the beginning of the season, he relied heavily on his jump shot, whether it was from outside the arc or it was a one-dribble pull-up from just inside the arc. Gradually, LaVine learned that his freakish athleticism can make attacking the basket pretty easy for him, and he became pretty good at it as the season wore on.

The All-Star Break is when LaVine’s level of play drastically changed for the better. His statistics from before and after the ASB tell the story (from nba.com/stats).

BEFORE ASB: 21 MPG, 7.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 3.2 APG, 41% FG, 28% 3pt FG

AFTER ASB: 29 MPG, 14.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.2 APG, 43% FG, 38% 3pt FG

LaVine’s effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage also both increased by six percentage points from pre-ASB to post-ASB. I’ve attached LaVine’s pre-ASB and post-ASB shot charts, which show a pretty remarkable difference just as his basic statistics do.

One game that comes to might right away is his performance in a win against the Utah Jazz on March 23rd (this is the last time the Wolves have won a game, so that’s one reason I bring this game up). LaVine finished the game with 27 points, but it was the way that he got those 27 points that were impressive. He made 5 of 6 shots from beyond the arc for the game, including quite a few of those late in the game in situations where the Wolves desperately needed them. Here’s a highlight video of that game.

This type of play from LaVine translated into the month of April, as he put up some pretty outstanding numbers. Timberwolves fans got a glimpse of what could be two future stars playing like a pretty solid dynamic duo as Wiggins and LaVine combined to average 44.4 points per game for the month. LaVine’s final numbers from April include 21.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 6.6 APG while shooting 47% from the floor. Here is LaVine’s shot chart from the month of April.

One thing I mentioned previously was LaVine’s increased tendency to attack the basket as the season wore on. Those statistics in the closest ring to the basket in which he shot 30/46 for the month of April indicate that not only is LaVine willing to initiate the contact and use his athleticism to score at the hoop, but he’s also getting better at it.

The most memorable performance from Zach LaVine in April came at Oracle Arena against the Golden State Warriors. In a game that the Timberwolves had no business keeping close, LaVine’s offensive onslaught in the second half kept the Timberwolves in the game for basically the entire four quarters. While the Wolves eventually lost by nine, LaVine finished with 37 points (setting a new Timberwolves rookie single game scoring record), making 13 of 21 shots and 6 of 10 from three. Moreover, 24 of his points came in the second half.

As we’ve mentioned before plenty of times, LaVine is a very streaky shooter and consistency will come with time. However, when he gets it going like he did in this game, it’s really fun to watch. I attached the highlights of that game for your enjoyment.

Overall, LaVine’s rookie season showed us a few things but ultimately didn’t leave us with a definitive answer as to what his career will shape out to be. I have written before about how LaVine’s rookie season is eerily similar to that of Kobe Bryant’s and while LaVine won’t be leading the Wolves to five NBA Championships and winning MVP awards anytime soon like Bryant, he’s got the potential to be a star.

If LaVine can improve his defense and begin to limit turnovers and increase his shooting consistency on offense, LaVine could be a special player and possibly an important piece to a Timberwolves playoff run in the future.

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