LaVine impressed with new-look Bulls: 'This ain't last year'
Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls kicked off their 2021-22 campaign with a 94-88 road win over the Detroit Pistons.
The Bulls trailed by as many as nine points, and LaVine pointed to the club's resiliency as a sign of changing times.
"This ain't last year. We're looking forward now," LaVine said postgame, according to ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "It's a whole new team. A whole new mindset. So, I'm excited that we grinded that one out. A win's a win."
LaVine scored a game-high 34 points - including 15 in the third quarter - as Chicago won its first season opener since 2016-17. Newcomers DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball chipped in 17 and 12 points, respectively, in their Bulls debut.
Chicago has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons, but LaVine is optimistic the drought will end this year.
"We have a bunch of dogs on the team now and guys that will step up for each other, so I'm really excited, but a win's a win, and we're going to go forward from here," LaVine said.