Bulls' Zach LaVine Says There's 'Lack of Trust and S--t' with HC Jim Boylen

Amid a 5-11 start to the season, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine revealed there are trust issues between him and head coach Jim Boylen.

LaVine voiced his frustrations to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports after getting benched early in a 116-108 loss to the Miami Heat on Friday night:

"I feel I earned that trust, but I guess he feels differently. Other players around the league — and everybody's situation isn't the same—I feel other players around the league have that trust. I guess we haven't got there.

"I wish I knew [what happened to the trust]. I feel we had a good offseason. He came and visited us and wanted us to work on certain things. With this start, there's been some lack of trust and s--t you view differently, different opinions on."

Chicago fell behind 13-0 within the first three minutes and 27 seconds against Miami. That prompted Boylen to take a timeout, during which he opted to sub LaVine out for "three egregious defensive mistakes." LaVine wound up sitting for nearly six minutes as the lead swelled to 17.

The 24-year-old acknowledged after the game that he felt "singled out":

LaVine is coming off the best season of his career, as he averaged a career-high 23.7 points per game in 2018-19. Boylen served as the head coach for 58 games last season after taking over for Fred Hoiberg in December.

In Boylen's first full season at the helm, though, the results have not been the same for LaVine. The sixth-year veteran is averaging 19.5 points on 41 percent shooting, down from 46.7 percent last season.

And now he is dealing with a conflict with his head coach.

"I'm trying my best, I'll say that," LaVine told Goodwill when asked if he trusts Boylen. "I'm playing my minutes and trying to do the best I can do. It's tough, especially when you're in a rut. If he doesn't trust me, it's hard to trust someone who doesn't trust you."

It's a tough situation for the Bulls, but the franchise will be looking for the two to figure things out. LaVine is under contract through 2022, and Boylen received an extension in May. In other words, both are expected to be a part of the team's future.

While saying he is open to sitting down with Boylen to try to work out their issues, the two-time dunk contest champ made it clear that he believes the relationship can be salvaged.

"I try to build it back up or find somewhere in the middle to where you can have an understanding," LaVine told Goodwill. "I don't think it's gone."