Bulls Rumors: Zach LaVine to Visit Specialist for Knee Injury; Hopes to Play in ASG

Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine is reportedly planning to get some clarity on his ailing left knee.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, LaVine is scheduled to see a specialist in Los Angeles early this week to address "recurring discomfort."

Wojnarowski added that LaVine, who was selected to the NBA All-Star Game, still plans to take part in next week's All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.

LaVine sat out Chicago's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday and sat out a couple of games earlier in the month as well.

At 26 years old, LaVine is one of the best young wing players in the NBA. He was selected to the All-Star Game for the second straight season while putting up averages of 24.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.9 three-pointers made per game for a Bulls team that is second in the Eastern Conference with a 36-21 record.

If LaVine has to miss additional time moving forward, the Bulls are better equipped to handle his absence this year than in previous seasons. Thanks to the offseason addition of DeMar DeRozan, Chicago has another All-Star who can shoulder the load when necessary. The veteran is in the midst of one of the best runs of his career and is averaging 27.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

Chicago is already dealing with significant injuries to key players. Point guard Lonzo Ball (knee) isn't expected to return until March, swingman Alex Caruso is recovering from surgery on his fractured right wrist near the end of January, and forward Patrick Williams may not be back until late in the season at the earliest due to a wrist injury.

With so many of Chicago's best depth players on the mend, it can ill afford to lose LaVine for any extended period of time.

For now, it appears as though LaVine intends to play through the pain on most nights, but if he isn't able to at some point, much of the burden will fall on the shoulders of DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White.