Zach LaVine’s teammates are confused.

Entering Tuesday’s game, the Bulls guard is cruising through a six-game streak with 30 or more points. He’s shooting better than ever in a completely re-imagined offense. But around the league — and, even more important, in the trade market — the response to the best season of the two-time All-Star’s career feels tepid at best.

That leads his teammates to ask the same question every week: Are any of you even watching this guy?

“I don’t understand it,” Lonzo Ball said. “(He’s) definitely a top-three shooting guard in the NBA right now. I don’t understand why people talk down on him. He’s a true professional.”

Teammate Coby White blames some of it on the national media, which never has included LaVine among the top tier of Eastern Conference stars. It certainly doesn’t help that the Bulls have played only three nationally televised games this season, relegating the rest of LaVine’s eye-popping performances to a regional network that even many Chicagoans can’t access.

But even when LaVine is front and center, White feels his teammate still doesn’t receive the shine he deserves from the rest of the NBA.

“He’s been overlooked since I’ve been here,” White told the Tribune.

Coach Billy Donovan blames this on the fickle nature of sports fandom. LaVine was in the spotlight last season for playing poorly through a foot injury while also navigating a thorny standoff with the front office over a trade request. It was a low point for LaVine, compelling him to take a step back and rethink his approach to his job.

The rest of the league seems to have missed this latest chapter. And Donovan fears the lasting memory of LaVine in the NBA’s collective consciousness is one of struggle rather than the dominance LaVine is currently inflicting on the rest of the East.

“Unfortunately, sometimes it’s out of sight, out of mind,” Donovan said. “When guys are not necessarily out there all the time, it’s hard. You’re not really watching them or seeing them or thinking about them.”

If LaVine is bothered by the chatter — or lack thereof — he’s trying not to let it show.

His teammates eagerly hype him up after wins. The Bulls will fervently promote him for an All-Star selection, for which he should have a compelling case as the No. 8 scorer in the East (24 points per game) and fifth-best 3-point shooter in the league (45%).

But this season, LaVine wants to let his game speak for itself.

“There’s a lot of people that’s going to talk,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know you are valid. So why would I care to entertain them?”

One of the highest bars of efficiency an NBA player can clear is a 50-40-90 line: 50% shooting from the field, 40% behind the 3-point arc and 90% from the free-throw line. Only 10 players have achieved it for an entire season, reflecting how challenging it is to sustain that level of consistency at all three levels of shooting.

LaVine is holding steady on what should be the two hardest aspects of the 50-40-90 club. He’s shooting 51.7% from the field in addition to the 45% mark behind the arc, both of which would be career highs.

But LaVine can’t get it right at the line, where he’s shooting 81.8%. That isn’t helped by the fact he’s averaging the fewest trips to the line (four per game) since the 2016-17 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, which means every shot carries more weight.

“The 90% free throws is the hardest part for me,” LaVine said with a laugh. “I’ve always been a good free-throw shooter. It’s always a goal. But it’s tough.”

While the 50-40-90 club likely will remain elusive for LaVine — he would have to make 120 consecutive free throws to reach 90% from the line — his efficiency when the ball is live has reshaped the Bulls offense this season.

Efficiency derives from both execution and shot selection. And LaVine has found a groove with both, taking more 3-pointers while utilizing a spaced-out floor to attack the rim.

“He’s just a pure scorer,” Ball said. “He’s not just a shooter. He has really no weaknesses on the offensive side of the ball. There’s really nothing that he can’t do.”

In his early years in Chicago, LaVine earned a reputation for selfishness that he has been trying to shake ever since.

It’s true that LaVine used to dominate the Bulls offense. At the peak of his usage he averaged 20 shots per game in the 2019-20 season, an unsustainable diet.

But Donovan, who arrived the next season, is quick to defend those dog days of LaVine’s tenure in Chicago. In the coach’s eyes, the Bulls simply didn’t have any other options.

The offense struggled to create shots outside of LaVine in his first three seasons with the Bulls. In 2018-19, the team mustered only 21.7 assists per game, which ranked 27th in the league. That meant far too many plays ended with the shot clock ticking down to the final few seconds as LaVine desperately scanned the floor for options before finally forcing up a shot.

“At times it was remarkable, to be quite honest with you, that he shot the ball as well as he did my first year,” Donovan said.

But LaVine has evolved with his role. He welcomed this season’s offensive structure: better spacing in the paint for him to drive, more on-ball responsibilities to create shots for teammates, an increased variety of quality looks behind the arc and at the rim.

So why is he still overlooked?

For LaVine to earn his due, the Bulls have to win more games. That’s the harsh reality of NBA stardom. Relevancy is earned only by contending in the postseason. And the Bulls haven’t been able to provide LaVine with that relevancy.

This is the push-pull that ultimately will define LaVine’s relationship with the franchise — especially as the Bulls front office grapples with the decision between trying to make the playoffs and keeping its 2025 first-round draft pick.

LaVine has earned the right to play for a contender. And the Bulls can’t become one without undergoing a rebuild that most likely would require trading away their star.

The heartbreak of this dynamic consumed LaVine and the Bulls last season. This year he doesn’t want to let that noise in.

LaVine is upfront about the chatter surrounding himself and the Bulls. He reads the news and sees what fans say about him. He tries not to care. That’s easier said than done.

He wants to be recognized for his efforts. He wants fans to see the game the same way he does, to appreciate how he has molded his shot and improved his defense to round out his game.

But for the next few months at least, LaVine isn’t trying to convince anyone but himself — and that internal confidence is visible to the players around him.

“This year, he’s been at peace,” White said. “He loves basketball. He’s playing with joy. He’s having a ton of fun.

“He gets to hoop and have fun here, then he gets to go home and play with his two kids. That’s all there is, right? That’s all he truly cares about.”