Zach LaVine’s breakout season offensively continued Tuesday night against the Spurs as he poured in 25 points.
The third-year guard is averaging 20.1 points per game this season, up more than six from his 14 points per game last season. LaVine is shooting career-highs of 46.2 percent from the field along with 88.9 percent from the free-throw line. He’s also shooting 37.5 percent from the 3-point line on 6.8 attempts per game.
We’ve found out that LaVine is more than just a dunker, something he wanted to prove since being drafted into the league in 2014.
The back-to-back Slam Dunk Contest champion has been especially hot since Nov. 26. In six games over that stretch, he’s averaged 23.5 points per game while shooting 48.6 percent from the field, 37 percent from the 3-point line and 91 percent from the free-throw line. Per our friends at Basketball Reference, three of LaVine’s best games this season, according to the site’s Game Score analytic, have come during that stretch.
LaVine is 29th in the league in points per game, 15th with 2.6 3-pointers made per game and 54th in 3-point percentage.
And if this recent stretch is any indication, he’s only getting better.
It appears as if Flip Saunders’ home-run pick in the 2014 NBA Draft is paying off.