Maybe the biggest splash of any trade deadline day move for any team around the NBA landscape came when first-year Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley made a morning deal with the Orlando Magic. Karnisovas and the Bulls made a headlining move on the morning of trade deadline day to land star 30-year-old big man Nikola Vucevic from the Magic along with forward Al-Farouq Aminu.
The Bulls got the pairing of Aminu and Vucevic from the Magic for a return of two future first round draft picks (each lottery protected in their own right) along with veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr. and third-year center Wendell Carter Jr. It was one of multiple moves that the Bulls new front office regime made to try and revamp the roster to go into more of a win now mode down the stretch.
Outlook for the Chicago Bulls after landing Nikola Vucevic
After a mostly quiet offseason in terms of roster adjustments last offseason for Karnisovas and Eversley, they made plenty of noise at the trade deadline on March 25. They also landed the likes of the former Washington Wizards small forward Troy Brown Jr., and big men Daniel Theis and shooting guard Javonte Green from the Boston Celtics.
The losses for the Bulls on deadline day, outside of what they sent to the Magic in the Vucevic and Aminu deal, included center Luke Kornet, second-year center Daniel Gafford, third-year small forward Chandler Hutchison, and even big man Mo Wagner by way of the deals with the Wizards and Celtics. There was a lot going on for the Bulls on deadline day, and there’s a lot to unpack in the aftermath.
But what all Bulls fans want to know is what Vucevic can do to help elevate this team. Here’s a look at three Bulls players in particular that can have their game elevated after the addition of the two-time All-Star selection Vucevic.
Who Nikola Vucevic will help No. 3: Coby White
The play of the second-year former North Carolina Tar Heels point guard and the 21-year-old Coby White for the last month or so didn’t inspire much confidence in his game from the Bulls fan base. The Bulls’ seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft had high expectations coming into his sophomore campaign in the league.
White caught fire down the stretch during his rookie campaign, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced pause, but he didn’t carry that momentum into the start of this regular season. He’s posted similar numbers in terms of his advanced metrics and counting stats this season that he did during his rookie campaign as a whole.
A lot of the problems White has faced this season so far have to do with inconsistencies in his shooting percentages and turnovers, and troubles with matching up one-on-one with opposing guards. White has become one of the worst defenders among Bulls guards this season, posting a -3.5 defensive box plus/minus rating, 115 defensive rating, and steal/block percentages both well below 1.0.
While the defensive problems White has faced so far this season won’t really be improved by the addition of Vucevic, he’ll have a lot more space to operate on offense. So far this season, White has shot just 40.9 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from beyond the arc. He’ll have a lot more room to operate with Vucevic in the mix for the rest of the 2020-21 campaign.
Who Nikola Vucevic will help No. 2: Patrick Williams
The former Florida State Seminoles freshman forward and ACC Sixth Man of the Year Patrick Williams was the fourth overall pick for Karnisovas and the Bulls in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft. And this ultra-promising 6-foot-7 and 215 pound rookie 19-year-old forward Williams is going to see a boost in his production down the stretch with the addition of Vucevic.
The North Carolina native Williams has shown a lot of flashes in his game on both ends of the floor so far this season. It’s just the consistency factor that needs to eventually come to the forefront for Williams. But it is going to take time for the game of Williams to round out on both ends of the floor since he was the youngest player selected in the 2020 draft.
Williams has already drawn a number of tough defensive assignments for first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls this season. He needs to show that he can have more confidence and smarter decisions with the ball in his hands on the offensive end of the floor.
The counting stats don’t look too shabby for Williams so far during his rookie campaign. He’s averaged roughly 10 points per game, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block, so far this season. And he’s shot around 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc.
Now it’s the individual efficiencies in Williams’ game and the overall confidence factor that can be improved by the addition of Vucevic. He’ll have a lot more room to operate on offense, just like White will. And Williams will be able to come off screens and cut with more open room than he used to. This could be a sizable breakthrough for Williams down the stretch this season.
Who Nikola Vucevic will help No. 1: Zach LaVine
A new All-Star dynamic duo exists in the Eastern Conference now with the Bulls having both star shooting guard Zach LaVine and Vucevic playing in the same lineup from this point on. Karnisovas and the Bulls definitely went all in on the star duo of LaVine and Vucevic by sending out two first round picks and a valuable duo of players in WCJ and OPJ at the deadline.
It also feels like the Bulls new front office regime really wants to attract LaVine back to Chicago once his current contract runs up in the offseason next year. There’s now a real possibility that the Bulls have one of the better star duos in the East for at least the next two or three years. And depending on if Williams can reach his lofty potential, this could turn into a real promising trio with the Bulls moving forward.
LaVine got his first career All-Star nod this year as he’s having another season where he’s posting career-best counting stats and advanced metrics. So far this season, LaVine has averaged 28.1 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks. And he’s shot an insane 52.0 percent from the field, 43.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 86.9 percent from the free-throw line.
The former UCLA Bruin LaVine has also registered a career-best 4.2 box plus/minus rating, .154 win shares per 48 minutes, and a 22.2 player efficiency rating. LaVine has also made it known of late that he would like to be in Chicago over the long haul.
The potential that this pick-and-pop and screen-and-roll offense could have for Donovan and the Bulls with the addition of Vucevic to play along with LaVine could be very special. LaVine will have fewer double teams coming his way and will have more open lanes to use his insane athleticism and bounce in his game to drive to the rim. The production and overall efficiency of LaVine should only continue to heighten down the stretch as he now gets to play with Vucevic.