Zach LaVine made his season debut on Saturday night after missing the first two games of the season due to left knee injury management.
LaVine finished with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting in Saturday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, in which the two-time All-Star said he felt ‘great’.
“It felt great,” LaVine said postgame. It felt good to get out there. First real ‘going 100 percent’ since last year.”
LaVine rehabbed his left knee all summer after undergoing arthroscopic surgery following Chicago’s first-round exit from the playoffs.
The management of his left knee injury will certainly continue to come into play throughout the season. When asked if he’d be playing in both games of back-to-back sets this season, LaVine was unsure.
“I don’t know. That’s for us to go and talk about,” LaVine said. “Obviously, you guys know me. I like playing all the time. But got to think big picture and what’s most important. We’ll figure that out as it goes along.”
For Billy Donovan, he knows his All-Star wants to play, but the team has to play it safe in those circumstances to start the season.
“When he has a period of let’s say three or four games in a week, there’s going to be residual effects from that,” Donovan said. “Zach understands that and he’s always been really, really great to work with on this stuff. And he understands this is something that we all have to help him manage. And I think he’s willing to do that.”
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