There are times, when Zach LaVine is hot, when he is scoring in bunches, when all that athletic ability is on display, that the second-year Timberwolves guard nudges right up to the edge of extraordinary.
LaVine drives, he dunks, he hits long three-pointers. And you think, maybe …
But then there are the struggles. When LaVine is playing the point, there are times he makes fans wonder what the point of it all is. The times when the ball movement stops and the half-court offense stagnates and his defense becomes a problem at the other end.
One of the livelier debates this young season among those regularly watching the Wolves is where LaVine should play. The 20-year-old began training camp at shooting guard but was quickly moved to backup point guard by interim coach Sam Mitchell in a move that might have been made mostly because of the way the current roster is structured.
This isn't a debate that will end soon.
But, in many of his recent outings, LaVine, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2014 draft, has shown that as he grows and learns the NBA game, he will have to play somewhere.
"I love him," Memphis Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said before Sunday's game. "I'm a big LaVine fan. I think he can really score the basketball. He's tough to guard. I think he's still trying to figure out where he is in the league, learn his teammates, where he can go and when it's not a good time to go. When he learns that? He'll be a very potent scorer."
The past four games, thrust into the starting lineup by Ricky Rubio's hamstring strain, LaVine has shown both the wonderful and the woeful sides of his game.