LaVine and Parker, two 'old souls,' got head start on building chemistry
Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker have plenty in common.
They tore their ACLs five days apart in February 2017. They got hefty new contracts from the Chicago Bulls this summer. Both have defensive reputations that could stand improvement.
But how well do the two players know each other? LaVine spent most of his summer on the West Coast, while Parker is a Chicago guy.
"I was texting to him all last year, man," LaVine said Wednesday at the Advocate Center. "Talking to him, communicating with him. We're starting to build a friendship. I talk to him every morning and we'll get this friendship going.
"He's a real cool dude. Real laid-back, an old soul. I love old-school cars, and he has like six of them. I've been trying to drive one. He's real chill, relaxed dude. He listens to nothing but old-school hip-hop music, and I'm the same way. So we already have some connections."
The initial connection was just a couple of guys sharing the same circumstances, being away from the team and rehabbing a knee injury. LaVine suffered his injury while playing for Minnesota on Feb. 3, 2017 in a game against Detroit. He was traded a few months later and made his Bulls debut last season on Jan. 13.
Parker tore the ACL in his left knee a second time on Feb. 8, 2017 vs. Miami. He made his return to game action on Feb. 2 last season and ended up playing in more games than LaVine - 38 including playoffs. After four seasons in Milwaukee, Parker signed with the Bulls as a free agent on July 14.
"I mean we can just understand each other's mental capacity," LaVine said. "He's had two of them, so I can't even understand the type of struggles, because it takes a toll on you. I went through one and it's tough.
"I think we were both having career years, both averaging around 20 points a game and had some All-Star votes, stuff like that, coming into our own. Then something happens and it takes it all away from you, and it stinks."
LaVine and Parker should be closing in on 100 percent healthy by now, if they're not already there. LaVine has talked about how much he's enjoying training camp this time, since he skipped it last year for knee rehab.
"He (Parker) looked great the first day," LaVine said. "He was trying to dunk everything and stuff like that. He's as explosive as ever. I think we can both understand that we're pretty mentally strong and we can get through a lot of things."
The next step is making it work on the floor. Barring some new injury, LaVine and Parker will be the Bulls' starters on the wings, at shooting guard and small forward. They'll need to build some chemistry with each other as well as the other starters.
One thing coach Fred Hoiberg emphasized is players being able to critique each other on the floor with no offense taken.
"Anytime you can have players who can look each other in the eye and have honest conversations and be able to hold each other accountable on the floor is very important," Hoiberg said.
Getting the defense where it needs to be for the Bulls to have success if going to be a process. If LaVine and Parker are able to recognize where they need to improve, maybe this $39.5-million experiment will have a chance to work.
"You can't get too upset if you say something on the court," LaVine said. "You have to be able to take accountability, so once that friendship grows you're OK."