Zach LaVine Says Changes to Offense 'No Excuse' for Bulls' Struggles This Season

Entering the All-Star break on a six-game losing streak that has dropped their record to 26-33 overall, Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine doesn't have an answer for what has plagued the offense.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's 112-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, LaVine acknowledged "something isn't working" but that's "no excuse" for how they have played.

Not having Lonzo Ball this season has left a playmaking void that the Bulls have struggled to fill. He led the team with 5.1 assists per game last season, but they had three other players who averaged at least 4.0 assists.

DeMar DeRozan averages a team-high 5.1 assists per game so far this season. LaVine is the only other player on the team averaging at least 4.0 assists per contest (4.1).

The offense ranked 13th in points per game (111.6) and rating (113.2) in 2021-22. They have dropped to 20th in points per game (113.1) and 24th in rating (112.5) in 2022-23.

The Bulls can't count on Ball coming back to save them this season. Vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas told reporters on Feb. 9 that Ball is "making small improvements" in his recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery, but they won't have more information about his status until after the All-Star break.

There's been no indication at this point that Ball has progressed to doing on-court workouts. The 25-year-old hasn't appeared in a game since Jan. 14, 2022, when he suffered a bone bruise and small meniscus tear in his knee against the Golden State Warriors.

Ball was originally expected to miss six to eight weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery. He wound up missing the rest of the season and had another arthroscopic procedure done in September.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported at the time there was "confidence" Ball would return this season, but he was expected to miss a few months.

Since Ball last played, the Bulls have a 45-56 record. They are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, two games behind the Toronto Raptors for the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Compounding the problems in Chicago is its first-round pick in the 2023 draft will go to Orlando if it's not in the top four stemming from the Nikola Vučević trade.