Big man Nikola Vucevic playing like All-Star once again for the Bulls
DETROIT — There’s very little indecision with the Bulls big man these days.
There stood Nikola Vucevic on Monday, fresh off a stationary bike ride after the 10-point win over the Pistons, dripping in sweat and suddenly finding himself answering NBA trivia.
When the 34-year-old was informed that he joined two other players in league history to have at least 800 three-pointers and grab at least 9,500 rebounds for a career, and was then asked to name them, one name was fired out quickly.
“Very random stat,” he first deadpanned.
“Dirk,” Vucevic said quickly, referring to Mavericks’ legend Dirk Nowitzki. Then after a few more seconds of thinking he came up with the other in LeBron James.
“Not bad, not bad,” he said of the company he was in.
No, not at all. Neither is the season that the Bulls center is putting together so far. It’s early, the sample size is small, but Vucevic will enter Wednesday’s game with Milwaukee averaging 20.7 points per game and doing so with All-Star level efficiency by shooting 59.4% from the field and 48.4% from three-point range.
The scoring average would be his best since becoming a Bull, while the shooting percentages would obviously be career highs.
Just playing free and easy, not overthinking anything.
“It feels good,” Vucevic said of his start. “You never want to be in the game and overthink things. That’s when you make mistakes, you don’t (play) as confidently. I just wanted to come into this season and be me, play my game. I know what I’m capable of and what I can do. Starting off the year well and I just want to continue to play that way.”
There are signs that he just might, starting with the new offense that coach Billy Donovan switched to in the offseason.
It was not only designed with Vucevic in mind but plays to his strengths on both ends of the floor.
“He’s been great,” Donovan said of his center. “The one thing I respect about Vooch is he’s always been willing to do what’s best for the team. I do think this style of play has helped him because it has gotten him in space quite a bit, and he’s such a great decision maker.
“He’s just playing inside the flow of the game. He knows when to shoot it, he knows when to pass it, he knows when to drive it, and I think that’s what’s helped us generate more threes this year, his playmaking.”
Even in his 29-point, 12-rebound, three-block performance against Detroit that was all on display. Because of the up-tempo pace, when Vucevic grabs a defensive rebound and gets the ball in the hands of a guard, he can then trail down the floor and pick his spot.
Once the ball finds him again, it’s his world. The key is he’s not second-guessing himself like he seemingly did in previous seasons.
“He’s been very decisive,” Donovan said.
So have his teammates in making sure the ball gets back in his hands, which was a problem at times the last few years.
“He looks like an All-Star,” point guard Josh Giddey said of Vucevic. “He’s been playing unbelievable for us. He’s carrying such a heavy load offensively, and he’s being asked to do a lot. He’s doing that at a very high level, night in and night out. There aren’t many off-nights for Vooch.
“He’s a true professional and he’s been doing this for a long time. He understands the right way to play. Very fun guy to play with for me. He’s a threat from behind the arc, plays in the pocket, very cerebral player.”
And one who could really be helping his own stock on the trade market when, and if, the Bulls start heading that way come February.
Making $20 million this season and $21.5 million next, and playing that efficiently?
Like Vucevic said about the “random stat.”
“Not bad.”
Nope, not bad at all.