Zach LaVine is nowhere near a complete basketball player. At this stage of his young career, the Minnesota Timberwolves guard is still something closer to a question than answer. He takes bad shots, gets lost on defense, and strays from two-way team concepts at least as often as he makes positive contributions.
Nevertheless, it’s hardly difficult to see why Sam Mitchell and company remain so invested in LaVine’s future despite his painfully obvious labors. When the 20-year-old gets a head of steam on a clear path to the rim, there’s nothing quite like him in the modern NBA – and maybe not even in the league’s past, either.
This graceful, gravity-defying jam is just an indication of LaVine’s most notable gift. But his on-court struggles and common reputation notwithstanding, the Timberwolves sophomore has real basketball talent, too, and he’s flashed it in each of his team’s last two games.
LaVine had 20 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in short-handed Minnesota’s 104-95 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. Just one night earlier, he notched 13 points, six assists, and three steals during the ‘Wolves’ wild win over the Atlanta Hawks.
That’s the good news, and it still mostly overshadows the bad – eight turnovers against Charlotte and a second-half collapse against Atlanta that marked his team’s near-collapse from a 34-point lead. But Minnesota needs to see more strides than slips from LaVine if the franchise can count on him as a long-term cog alongside Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Ricky Rubio.
And what’s even more encouraging than thrill and excitement gleaned from highlight plays like this one? That LaVine’s recent play suggests he’s begun to make that progress.
