Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine said he could be back by "(mid or late December)" after he was cleared for contact on Monday.
“It should be (mid or late December),†LaVine said when asked about a return timeline. “That’s what I’m going for. As long as I’m progressing and I’m doing what I need to on the court, this thing could go fast and I could be out there playing with the guys. My jumping and my athleticism are good. All my strength numbers are there. You’ve been out of basketball – contact wise – for nine months, and that’s not going to come back in two or three practices." He went on to add, “It can be tomorrow. I might be like. ‘I feel great, let me get in the game.’ Or it could be in two or three weeks; I don’t know yet.’" Head coach Fred Hoiberg hasn't indicated whether LaVine will require a G-league stint or what any sort of minutes restriction may look like.
When healthy, numberFire's models project LaVine to average 16.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.3 3-pointers, and 1.6 turnovers per game this season while making 44.0 percent of his field goals and 38.5 percent of his 3-pointers.
Source: Chicago Bulls