This post was updated on June 27 at 4:33 p.m.
A year ago, he was a relatively under-the-radar high school recruit who coach Steve Alford convinced to stick with his commitment to UCLA. Thursday, former UCLA guard Zach LaVine became an NBA player.
After one somewhat rocky season at UCLA, LaVine, sitting in the Barclays Center green room at the NBA Draft in New York City, heard his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver who announced LaVine was headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 13th overall pick.
LaVine’s initial reaction to being drafted by Minnesota left some fans on the internet wondering if he was unhappy with his destination, as LaVine put his head to the table and appeared to mouth some displeasure. However, LaVine was quick to quell any doubts about his enthusiasm when speaking with local Timberwolves reporters, explaining he was saying a prayer, and that his emotions may have led him to “mutter something wrong” and that he was ecstatic to join the Timberwolves.
“When my name was called man, it was a jolt of energy through my body. It was amazing,” LaVine said to Minnesota reporters. “ … You think about this since you’re a little kid, and you just can’t believe it’s actually happening.”
LaVine did more than just think about the moment as a child. As LaVine grew up, his father would routinely ask him questions similar to ones NBA executives would ask, preparing LaVine for the draft process.
“I was 6, 7, or 8 (years old) when my dad started giving me these little test interviews when we were riding in the car,” LaVine said. “So it’s crazy to think back on that.”
Around a decade later, LaVine, the first of three UCLA players expected to be drafted on the night, becoming the highest drafted UCLA player since 2008 when Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love went fourth and fifth respectively. But Alford said Friday morning that when LaVine first arrived at UCLA last summer, he didn’t initially see the freshman as a lottery pick.
“It was one of those things where he came in and he used the brand and the system,” Alford said. “I think our style of play of getting up and down the floor allows somebody like that to flourish, and he had a tremendous freshman year.”
His play last year helped his draft stock, but it was his upside that pushed him into the lottery. LaVine was pegged with the most potential of UCLA’s three draftees, albeit with the least impressive stat sheet. The Bruins’ sixth man finished the season averaging 9.4 points and 1.8 assists, but it was his type of play, not the numbers, that got him drafted. LaVine’s explosive athleticism – his acrobatic dunks a mainstay on SportsCenter’s Top 10 – and three-point range created buzz that the 6-foot-5 guard, who many anticipate attempting a shift to point guard in the NBA, could be a second coming of former UCLA guard and current NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook.
Some similarities between the two exist. Both from UCLA, both elite-level athletes – even for NBA standards – and both expected to transition to point guard in the NBA. But although LaVine’s athleticism and height make him a tantalizing point guard prospect, he’s expected to be a project and far from a sure-fire star, likely to take several years to develop both his game and his thin frame, if he is able to do so at all.
UCLA men’s basketball director of operations Tyus Edney isn’t concerned LaVine will realize his full potential.
“I think Zach will do well. … He’s always working on his game and he’s an unbelievable athlete with a high skill level,” Edney said. “He was just a freshman, so he’ll still continue to learn and I think as he continues to learn, he’ll get better and better every year.”
While he played point guard at Bothell High School in Bothell, Wash., LaVine’s role with the Bruins was as a scorer off the bench, rarely given the opportunity to prove his point guard skills, as fellow freshman Bryce Alford was given backup point guard duties over LaVine. LaVine, instead, played almost exclusively off the ball, showcasing his sometimes-questionable shot selection as well as his crazy hops – but rarely his ball handling and distributing abilities.
In that role, LaVine had an up and down year, creating some doubt as to whether he would declare for the draft, despite being mentioned as a lottery prospect for much of the season. But after a blistering start to the non-conference schedule in which LaVine averaged 13.8 points and shot 46.5 percent from three through the season’s first 10 games, he hit a wall that he struggled to climb over for the rest of the year. In the remaining 27 games – most of them against tougher Pac-12 competition – he reached double-digit scoring totals just eight times and scored five or fewer points 11 times.
Yet still, shortly after UCLA’s season ended with a Sweet 16 loss to Florida, LaVine announced his decision to turn pro, reportedly unhappy with his role on the team and concerned he might be passed over for a starting spot next season by guard Isaac Hamilton, who was ineligible last season.
Now a member of the Timberwolves, LaVine will be fighting for playing time on a different roster. With scorer Kevin Martin holding down the shooting guard spot and Ricky Rubio entrenched at point guard, LaVine will have plenty of competition. But both players have plenty of skills which LaVine could learn from. Martin is gifted at creating contact to get to the free throw line, a place that LaVine reached just 68 times last season. Rubio, meanwhile, is one of the NBA’s most creative passers and could help LaVine add more point guard skills to his arsenal. More than just learning from Rubio, LaVine expressed his excitement in playing with a player as flashy as Rubio.
“Ricky Rubio at the point right now, I can see me running lanes and hopefully catching some alley-oops getting on the break, spreading the floor,” LaVine said.
Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders identified a different area of LaVine’s game he was excited to see – the defensive side. LaVine wasn’t known for his defense at UCLA, however Saunders had evidence that LaVine defended better than people realized.
“What I love about him is defensively this past year he had 28 or so situations and he got beat off the dribble one time,” Saunders said to Minnesota media members. “I believe he has the ability to be an elite type player.”
Just one year removed from being named Washington’s “Mr. Basketball” and months after earning Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors, LaVine has moved on to the next stage of his career. But whether he can follow in Westbrook’s footsteps and earn accolades in the NBA remains to be seen. The Timberwolves are betting on it.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff. Contributing reports by Chris Kalra, Bruin Sports senior staff.