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Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine on Monday said that he has extended invitations to teammates Patrick Williams and Coby White to join him for workouts over the offseason.
With the regular season now over for several teams, players and coaches are starting to look ahead to the offseason and develop workout plans. The upcoming summer figures to be especially important for rookies after enduring a shortened offseason period heading into this year.
The 2020-21 season proved to be unlike any other in NBA history, with the league and teams experiencing challenging hurdles due to the coronavirus pandemic. Certainly, players will take some time off and unwind before getting back into the gym.
Once that time comes, LaVine wants to link up with his teammates.
I’ve already given them the invitation. I want to work out with them and we’ll go through some things and get after it in the offseason. I think that’s good bonding and team exercise for us especially in the offseason. You’re away from your guys and everybody needs time away but once you start ramping back up, these will be the dudes you’ll be in battle with. I want to help them just like other players helped me.
Williams turned in a strong rookie season with the Bulls, averaging 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 71 games. He proved to be a capable player on both ends of the floor, and was often tasked with guarding the best players on opposing teams.
The experience of playing as a rookie will help him entering the offseason. He now has a certain idea on the areas of his game in which can be improved upon during his summer workouts.
I think this offseason is going to be for me, personally. Now that I kinda know what to expect in the NBA, the things to work on are getting the ball coming off handoffs, ball screens and just being comfortable making those reads. This was my first season so everything was pretty much new. Now, I kinda have the gist of what the game is about and how we play here. Just being able to have that in my mind going into the summer is going to be huge for me.
Of course, having the ability to train with an All-Star will certainly bode well for Williams and White. LaVine has emerged as one of the leaders on the Bulls and will be able to offer those two players some strong advice and mentorship in the coming weeks.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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