After dealing with left knee pain for several months last season, Bulls star Zach LaVine underwent surgery to address the issue over the offseason. It appears that he’s returned to full strength in training camp, writes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago.
“I feel good,” LaVine said after Saturday’s practice. “Obviously, I’m going to take training camp this year to pretty much get back into it. It’s the first time I really had to do that, because I rehabbed all summer. But I feel really good.
“Training camp has been really good for me. This is my first live action. I actually surprised myself a little bit, how I was feeling. I thought I was going to have to work my way in a little bit more. But I’ve been playing pretty good.”
The two-time All-Star signed a five-year, $215MM contract in July to stay with Chicago.
Here’s more from the East:
- Pistons lottery picks Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren are showcasing their explosive athleticism during training camp, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “When you say Jalen and Jaden, those guys can run. They can fly,” Hamidou Diallo smiled, shaking his head. “It’s going to be exciting. Jalen, a great shot-blocker – he’s caught me a couple of times. Having him protecting the rim and Jaden, a guy that can dribble up and go by anybody, that’s something in itself.”
- The Wizards‘ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, has acquired the returning player rights to Kris Dunn from the Ontario Clippers. Ontario received Capital City’s first and second-round picks in this year’s G League draft, plus the returning rights to Yogi Ferrell. Dunn participated in a mini-camp with the Wizards this summer in the hopes of landing another NBA job. The former No. 5 overall pick has dealt with ankle issues the past couple years and remains a free agent after spending 14 games with the Blazers at the end of last season.
- The Magic had to cancel practice for the second consecutive day on Thursday due to Hurricane Ian, notes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. However, they were able to resume practice on Friday, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, who adds that the team’s owners, the DeVos family, made a $1MM donation for hurricane relief efforts.
Still waiting for Dunn bounce back to a stable nBA role
Def elite defender and athlete
Saw him fall on his face back in 2018
Brutal
His injuried hold his back.very good defender,decent playmaking,pasing,ball handling,but terrible shooter.still can be good backup player if healthy.
Pistons got plenty of talent. We’ll see how they grow up together. I like their young core a lot. Cunningham and Ivey are a serious backcourt. Really excited to see how they play.
At least we don’t have to listen to LaVine whine about being underpaid and disrespected anymore. Now it’s time to put up and shut up. To be the guy who shows up in crunch time and plays with the little bumps and bruises for the good of the team. I still have my doubts but for once, I hope I’m wrong.