The Bulls view Zach LaVine as the centerpiece of the rebuild for his spirit as much as his skill.

“This isn’t a losing situation,” LaVine said emphatically before practice Tuesday. “We might not have the best record right now. But we don’t have that outlook on our team. We’re coming in and we’re positive. We go at each other. We’re looking to improve. We don’t have that loser mentality. I know I’m not a loser. They’re not losers. We’re in the right state of mind.”

LaVine won’t travel on the two-game trip that begins Wednesday against the Pacers in Indianapolis, where the Bulls look to snap a nine-game skid. He will stay behind to practice with the Windy City Bulls of the G League, whom he thanked for “taking time out of their day” to help with his return from left ACL surgery in February.

Playing LaVine obviously will help the Bulls’ competitiveness. But the franchise and the high-flying guard continue to take a big-picture approach. In fact, every update pushes LaVine’s debut back, with January now almost certain rather than December.

“I still don’t know the exact date. I just know when my timing’s right,” LaVine said. “I’m trying to get all the plays down fluently. I like being the best-conditioned person on the floor. That’s what I’ve had the last three or four years in the NBA. Once I get that back, I think I’ll be ready to go.

“The hard part is just sitting there watching, knowing you can help. I get help from the coaching staff every day. Everybody is still positive. We get the right practices in. And then I start finding my spots in practice where I can fit in, where I can make plays, where I can shoot.”

Coach Fred Hoiberg said LaVine remains on an “every other day” program, participating in contact practices one day and then individual workouts with strength training the next.

“He needs to string together a good 10 days of practice when he’s not going every other day,” Hoiberg said. “To when he’s going every day, going hard to really test his body to see where he is. He’s still going to be on the every-other-day program for at least another 10 days to two weeks.”

When LaVine does make his debut, Hoiberg said he probably would play 12 to 18 minutes initially. Whether LaVine wears the brace he’s currently sporting in practice — “I don’t like it but doctor’s orders,” he cracked — remains to be seen.

LaVine likes the offense he will run when he does play.

“It’s a lot of reads,” he said. “And you have to go through game situations with the reads. It’s very similar to what I was doing last year (with the Timberwolves) but a lot of different calls. It’s really cool just learning all the different plays and the way we can get into things and the way you can disguise them.”

There’s no masking LaVine’s eagerness to return. Good luck to any Windy City Bull who tries to guard him in practices this week.

“I feel good in isolated situations, pick-and-roll,” LaVine said. “But you can just tell I ain’t been up and down in a while. My conditioning is slow. I get tired quickly. I have to get used to that again.

“Nothing simulates game conditioning. I’ve been working out for the last eight, nine months and you come in and play 5-on-5 and you’re tired in three minutes. Just have to get my rhythm down. But I’m progressing really fast. And I feel good.”

kcjohnson@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kcjhoop

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