Best shooters for the Chicago Bulls in 2021-22: Nikola Vucevic
The way that Donovan and the Bulls will run an even more up-tempo offense this coming season could provide an opportunity to give even more looks on the outside to the star former Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic. But it is also something that could largely work against Vucevic in terms of the complete picture of his production and efficiency during the 2021-22 campaign.
It is the addition of the former New Orleans Pelicans point guard and restricted free agent signing Lonzo Ball that could largely spark the up-tempo offense for the Bulls this season, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Adding someone like Lonzo to this starting unit allows the Bulls to run more effectively in transition, and move the ball faster around the perimeter in half-court looks.
Although, the Bulls did run at a faster pace down the stretch last season when Vucevic was on the floor compared to off (by a little more than half-a-second per offensive possession).
It is clear where Vucevic can thrive with the Bulls in terms of shooting. He is an elite shooter for a big man above the break. Last season, Vucevic shot north of 40 percent on above the break three-point attempts. And he took 430 attempts on above the break threes last season. The next-most frequent spot that he shot from beyond the arc last season was from the left corner, where he had seven attempts.
Since the Bulls don’t have many other players that can consistently shoot north of 40 percent from above the break, especially among big men, Vucevic is very valuable to this offense. Vucevic is also a solid shooter from other spots. Last season, he shot 47.7 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 84.0 percent from the free-throw line.
His true shooting percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw percentage, and overall field goal percentage were all above the league average last season.