3 pros & 3 cons of the Utah Jazz potentially acquiring Zach LaVine
By Matt John
Pro: LaVine is one of the NBA's most efficient scorers
LaVine is coming off a season ailed by injury, which could serve as a turnoff for him as a trade candidate. However, when he's healthy, LaVine is an unquestionably pure bucket-getter.
Since coming into his own in Chicago dating back to 2018, LaVine has averaged 23 points or more outside of his injury-riddled 2023-24 campaign. In that same timeframe, he has shot as well as 50% from the field while only going as low as 45% from the field. His three-point shooting percentage has also ranged from 37.4% to 41.9%.
In essence, LaVine is not one of those high-volume, low-efficiency scorers. He is a proven three-level scorer capable of putting up 20 to 30 points a night. Those are rare to find. If that's not enough, LaVine is also a solid playmaker, averaging a little over four assists a game from 2018 to 2023.
He's not coming off the best season with the Bulls, but when LaVine is operating at 100%, defenses focus on containing him for a good reason. Getting that caliber of a scorer for a low price isn't an opportunity that always comes around.