The Summer of LaVine

Zach LaVine is entering his third year as an NBA player and so far he’s gained the reputation of a gym rat. His most recent tweet from back on July 25th is a good example of this: “3hr gym session done. One more to go.” In addition, his Instagram is loaded with videos and photos of practice routines and summer activities that show him putting in the work to improve. This kind of preparation can only build upon his solid second half of the season.

When the basketball world thinks of Zach LaVine, they think slam dunks, Space Jam jerseys, and whether or not Aaron Gordon got screwed over in 2016 dunk contest. But last season, especially beginning in January, LaVine started to show the world he’s more than just a theatrical dunker.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=nGAbrWkE21Q

That highlight reel is one of the most complete representations of LaVine’s offensive skills. This last season LaVine surprised some people, which can definitely be heard in the voices of the play by play analysts. Of course, highlight reels omit the negative, but the mixture of mid range, rack attacks, lay up adjustments, catch and shoots, pull ups, and end of quarter situations show how much of a complete offensive player this young man is right now.

Take a look at some of Zach’s offensive numbers broken down month by month.

Overall Zach’s shooting shows an upward trend. In 2016 alone, his eFG% was 0.546, which if extended throughout the season would put him around top 20 in the league and nearby big names like Al Horford, Draymond Green, and LeBron James.   It would also place him nearby well respected three point shooters, Mirza “LeBron Instigator” Teletovic and Evan “Never Google” Fournier. After the All Star break LaVine actually out shot Teletovic and Fournier by a considerable clip, posing a solid 43% from behind the arc. That number, along with a ts% of .595, compare pretty closely to Klay Thompson’s post All Star break shooting efficiency. Thompson shot .423 from three-point range and finished with a  TS% of .597 in that same split. Now, as we are comparing numbers after the All Star break, to Thompson’s credit, he played nearly four hundred minutes more than LaVine over the course of the season. This additional workload can only have a negative effect on a player’s shooting efficiency, due to lower-body shooting base fatigue. So while it’s not a forgone conclusion that Zach LaVine can be as efficient a shooter as Klay Thompson, it is still a very encouraging comparison to a very solid offensive player.

One thing that Klay Thompson definitely has on Zach LaVine is strength. Although  Thompson isn’t a  bully, he does not get pushed around or knocked off course. This off-season Zach has showed that he understands the importance of strength training. Here he is working out with Karl-Anthony Towns:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BI53nj6gI4q/

Zach has also been working on strength training with his dad, who once played linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks. That pedigree suggests that Zach should be able to build strength into his prime. It also explains why he’s working out on a football field. A few videos found on social media and you tube document some of the on court training LaVine has been doing this summer. At the 40-s mark of the video below, we see Zach working through basketball-related strength training with trainer Drew Hanlan:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=SmitppCxUJo

This session shows LaVine taking simulated contact and shooting on the move. LaVine has always been confident shooting off the dribble and has great elevation on his jump shot. This kind of practice can only improve his shooting efficiency in traffic against NBA competition.

In addition to his own training, LaVine was invited to be a member of the USA Select team. There, he worked with other up-and-coming young players and the high profile Team USA coaches, including the Timberwolves own Tom Thibodeau.

As you can see in the following clip, Zach made the most of this time with the team.

While this didn’t always appear to be the most highly competitive environment, LaVine’s shooting touch, ability to gain separation for his jump shot, growing physical strength, and natural freakish athleticism were on full display. There are moments in the video above where LaVine looks a head above the guys around him, both literally and figuratively. At times his fellow stars look at little perplexed by some of the plays he made, especially when in transition or cashing in from behind the arc.

Not only did LaVine look skilled on these videos but he looked focused. He ran the floor and put in effort on defense. On top of this, at 6’5″ LaVine has solid size for an NBA guard. This size can be seen in this video when he matches up with SFs like Stanley Johnson and doesn’t appear dwarfed by the taller player.

Seeing Zach stand out in this video leaves me very optimistic about his growth as a player. I feel the work he’s put in this summer brings him considerably closer to reaching the sky high potential he has as a NBA guard. That sky high potential has LaVine showing promises that few in NBA can emulate. The efforts, growth, and seemingly endless potential still remains. All reasons why Timberwolves fans should fill the seats every chance they have when LaVine is on the court!

It doesn’t take much time to come up with a list of young players with enormous NBA potential who were unable to see that translate to great NBA success. Guys like Stromile Swift, Darko Milicic, and DaJuan Wagner. They all had the skills to succeed at the highest level but lacked the necessary drive to reach their highest potential. Lucky for Wolves fans, Zach LaVine appears to have a bit of the mythological mamba blood that flowed through veins of guys like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett.

The way he looks right now, it’s remarkable that LaVine might only be the third or fourth most talked about Timberwolf going into this season. With the past two rookies of the year on the roster in Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, LaVine is on a lower profile. At the same time a lot has been said in the media and fan chatter about rookie Kris Dunn and Ricky Rubio.

Timberwolves fans should be thrilled to have a talent like LaVine on the roster flying under the radar. If his defense can improve under the tutelage of Tom Thibodeau, he should be quickly climbing the list of top 10 shooting guards in the league. I know for certain I’m looking forward to a season of watching Zach splash jump shots, run the floor with Rubio and Dunn, and throw down lob passes from somewhere near the new Target Center scoreboard.

Speaking of alley-oops and flashy dunks, in addition to his individual and team USA practice, Zach has been putting on a show at Pro-Ams, and he played a role in an absolutely ridiculous commercial.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=sVyED3KY3OY