Nikola Vucevic has been playing in the NBA for 13 years. A two-time All-Star during his time with the Orlando Magic, the Swiss-Montenegrin center hasn’t quite managed to replicate that success with the Chicago Bulls. Traded to the famed franchise midway through the 2020-21 season, he’s averaged 18.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game since.
Those numbers are certainly remarkable in a vacuum. However, they pale in comparison to his All-Star seasons, with the big man averaging 22.0 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. More importantly, Vucevic was able to put the Magic in the playoff race. Indeed, Vucevic has been involved in more postseason battles with Orlando (10) than with Chicago (5).
Bulls player Nikola Vucevic discusses reasons for franchise’s demise
With the Bulls negotiating DeMar DeRozan And Alex Caruso This offseason, Chicago is unlikely to clinch another playoff spot. The jury is still out on whether the Bulls would be better off without Zach LaVinethat they failed to exchange. However, the veteran insists that Lonzo BallThe long absence proved to be the main factor in their frustrating ends to the season.
“Since Lonzo Ball’s injury, we haven’t been able to get the results we could have gotten. This really upset us.,” Vucevic told Milun Nesovic of Meridian Sports (h/t BasketNews).
“When he was playing we were top of the East for a while, which was maybe not a realistic result even though we were playing well, but with him we would have been fighting for anywhere between third and sixth at the end.
The rest of us were more focused on scoring: LaVine, DeRozan and me. He brought us all together, sped up the game, was very important on defense, defended the best players with Caruso… Even though his numbers might not have been impressive, he was very important to us.
Vucevic isn’t giving away any details when he says Ball has been the key to the Bulls’ success. While a different breed of point guard reigns supreme these days, traditional point guards have plenty of value. For example, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ point guard Mike Conley is a key player for a championship contender.
Ball is built on the same model. He’s not overly focused on scoring, even though he’s become a very reliable three-point threat. Instead, he focuses on using his speed, court vision, and passing ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. On the other end, Ball is just as effective, smothering ball handlers and jumping passing lanes.
Averaging 13.0 points, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game and shooting 42.3 percent from three-point range (same as Ball with the Bulls), that may not be very impressive. In other words, those numbers probably wouldn’t put him in the running for a title. Still, as Vucevic points out, his impact goes beyond the stats.
In a vacuum, Ball is an X-factor. In Chicago, he was the glue. With him as the primary playmaker, the ball didn’t stay in the stars’ hands too much. As a top-tier defender at the point of attack, he helped mask their shortcomings.
Latest news on Lonzo Ball
The ball appears ready to come back in court, and is return to 5-on-5 play In informal settings, however, expectations should be tempered. Although he is only 26, he has not played in more than two seasons. As a result, his mobility and durability are questionable.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, his apparent replacement — the 2021 No. 6 overall pick Josh Giddey —is neither the shooter nor the defender he was (and perhaps still is). However, this could be the opening Ball needs to reassert himself in Chicago’s rotation.
