Bulls’ Zach LaVine Creates Franchise Scoring Record Which Even Michael Jordan Couldn’t Achieve

Published 02/10/2021, 11:01 PM EST

For the last three seasons, the Chicago Bulls have been relying heavily on Zach LaVine for offense. Since his trade to the Bulls, he has evolved into an elite scorer, arguably the best Chicago has seen since Michael Jordan.

LaVine has broken a few of Jordan’s franchise scoring records, but tonight, he did more than just that. He scored 20 points in the first quarter against the Pelicans, the sixth time he has done it in a Bulls jersey.

This is twice the amount of similar games Jordan had, after just three of such games in his Bulls career.

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Zach LaVine scored 20 points in a quarter for the 6th time with the Bulls. That is double any other Bulls player over the last 25 seasons (Ben Gordon and Michael Jordan each had 3 such quarters). pic.twitter.com/z2c2rvDEru
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 11, 2021

The 25-year-old shot 7-8 in the first quarter, including 5-5 from three. The Pelicans were helplessly trying to keep him in check, as he kept draining points.

Once he gets into his groove, it is very difficult to stop him. LaVine played all 12 minutes of the first quarter and helped the Bulls score 44 points.

LaVine cooks for 20 PTS in the 1Q 😨
He’s 5/5 from 3PT pic.twitter.com/tFQl44S3LF
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 11, 2021

Is Zach LaVine the best scorer the Bulls have had since Michael Jordan?

Jordan is arguably the greatest scorer the game has ever seen. While LaVine is nowhere close to him at the moment, he is slowly working his way up.

An ACL injury marred his first season in Chicago, and he played just 24 games. But when he was given the keys to the Bulls offense in his first full season, he showed promise. He averaged 23.7 points per game while shooting 46% from the field and 37% from three.

He has been steadily improving every year, and currently, he is averaging 27.4 points with superb shooting splits of 50-40-85. These are some of the best numbers a Bulls player has had since Jordan.

In fact, Lavine’s points per game in his Bulls career is the second-highest in franchise history, right behind Jordan.

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One could say Derrick Rose’s numbers are affected by his injury, and one could make a case for the 2011 MVP to be a better scorer. But LaVine, unlike Rose, can score from anywhere on the court. He is a way more versatile scorer and often scores for fun.

LaVine has the numbers on his side, but now he needs to help the Bulls return to the playoffs and return to their previous great levels.

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Aaron Mathew is a sports analyst at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Mass Media from Xavier’s College, Aaron has been a part of EssentiallySports since May 2020 where he covers both NBA and NCAA basketball news, and has also covered NBA 2K. In the past, Aaron has worked at the Sports Desk of Mumbai Mirror.

Bulls’ Zach LaVine Creates Franchise Scoring Record Which Even Michael Jordan Couldn’t Achieve

Is Zach LaVine the best scorer the Bulls have had since Michael Jordan?

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