WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Shooting guard Zach LaVine will be back to the Chicago Bulls for full-contact drills from his injuries as the team are working hard for the new season.

According to the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday, LaVine is ahead of schedule and will be pushing at every opportunity to get on the court. "I should be doing contact really soon. It all depends on the injuries," LaVine said. "I'm pushing them as hard as I can. But at the end of the day, we've still got to be careful."

"I feel great. I'm doing everything I was doing before. I'm pretty sure I can do contact. But we've got to stick to that schedule."

The Bulls are looking toward to the future and LaVine, who returns from the knee surgery that ended his 2016-17 campaign in February, figures to be a big part of that plan.

"I don't like missing games," LaVine added. "It really sucks just sitting there, not being able to help. I try to help as much as I can from the sideline, give a little advice here or there. But, yeah, it hurts."