This season is going to be an important one for Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. He needs it to be a good one to turn around a rather disturbing trend over his tenure in Chicago. One that leaves him ranked in the middle of the pack at his position.
That is significant as he enters the final year of his contract heading into his 12th NBA season set to turn 32 years old.
There have been reports of early extension talks between him and the Bulls as well as speculation over what a potential deal could look like. It is a move that could have benefits for both sides.
But it is also one they may want to weigh even heavier than they already have.
Vooch in a Vacuum
“His shooting fell off a cliff last season,” begins Frank Urbina for HoopsHype, “Nikola Vucevic hit just 31.4 percent of his threes while his defensive presence left the Chicago Bulls wanting. In fact, over his season-plus with the Bulls, Vucevic has been a negative-impact player, posting a -4.2 swing rating in 2020-21 and a -3.7 mark last season.”
Vucevic checks in at 14th among all centers in Urbina’s top-25 rankings.
That is behind rumored potential trade targets such as Myles Turner or Jakob Poeltl. But is also behind 36-year-old Al Horford (which is not a slight on Horford). He is ahead of Jusuf Nurkic. And the list turns into specialists beyond that with rebounders like Steven Adams and Kevon Looney mixed in with defensive-oriented players like Mitchell Robinson (another one-time target).
Most threes in a season by a center:
187 — Brook Lopez
176 — Nikola Vucevic
172 — Channing Frye
150 — Karl-Anthony Towns
Still, the top is dominated by either two-way performers or players whose singular skill was more valuable than Vucevic’s versatility this past year.
Urbina notes that losing Patrick Williams after five games of the regular season did not help. He goes on to say that Vucevic is still a valuable asset while pointing out what the veteran big man still brings to the table.
More from Vucevic
“Vucevic does remain a stout rebounder who can do a good amount of scoring in the post and on face-up chances. His raw numbers were solid enough, too, at 17.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists last campaign, but the Bulls are going to need more out of their center if they want to become something more than first-round playoff fodder in 2022-23.”
Heavy’s Sean Deveney wrote about Vucevic having to sacrifice more than anyone else on the Bulls roster with last offseason’s revamp of the roster. DeMar DeRozan’s addition dropped him to the third option and the addition of Lonzo Ball meant less of a need for his playmaking.
Nikola Vucevic is the first Bulls player since Michael Jordan in 1996 with 35 points, 15 rebounds & 3 blocks in a single game
It was a vastly different situation than Vucevic came from where he was almost literally asked to do everything for the Orlando Magic.
“During his time in Orlando,” says Deveney, “Vucevic was the fulcrum of the offense, and the ball ran through him in the high post. But that was mostly because the Magic lacked much offensive talent and struggled to find a point guard. Vucevic is playing with three guards capable of serving as playmakers.”
Asset vs Liability
Many Magic fans were upset that the trade went down despite the many local media lauding the deal. And Vucevic has been a valuable asset for the Bulls even if it hasn’t always been through his play.
Through all of the hypothetical trade scenarios he has been included in, Vucevic has helped recruit talent to the Bulls for the second consecutive offseason, first with DeRozan last summer and then Goran Dragic this summer. He has also taken young big man Marko Simonovic under his wing in preparation for the latter’s increased role next season.
Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas and head coach Billy Donovan have also praised his durability.
But, with the eighth-highest cap hit among centers next season at $22 million, there are going to have to be some tough conversations in those negotiations if his play doesn’t improve.
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Analyst Gets Honest on Star’s Polarizing Bulls Tenure