2. Jusuf Nurkic
The biggest elephant in the room for the Bulls when healthy is the play of Vucevic. We don’t need to elaborate on that any further.
Moving off of him is an option that the front office will have to explore this summer. if they do so, a veteran big with playoff experience should be one of their top priorities.
Portland Trail Blazers’ big man Jusuf Nurkic is an experienced option that might interest them. As an unrestricted free agent, they wouldn’t need to make a trade to get him. He isn’t a player looking for a max contract. He also isn’t looking for a star role. He’s a role player who is solid at what he does and understands his part.
Nurkic is a 7-footer with great footwork and defensive instincts. He doesn’t have extraordinary athleticism, but he doesn’t need it at his size. Plus, he’s only 27-years-old, meaning that he’s still in his prime. He’s been to the Western Conference Finals and has battled the league’s best post players during his tenure in Portland.
The biggest asset he brings to the team is his fiery personality. The Bulls lack someone who’s comfortable being vocal in the ups and downs of a game. He isn’t that. He’s quick to hype his teammate up or call one out, no matter their role. He has called out Portland’s rookies for taking bad shots as well as Damian Lillard for not competing on defense.
That vocal leadership is something that the Bulls need. They got a little bit of that in Thompson, but need more. Granted, the downside of passionate players is that they sometimes have poor body language. Nurkic is quick to throw his arms up and get heated. He also isn’t shy when it comes to confrontation … for better or for worse.
Donovan will have to learn how to deal with his personality and give him enough rope to be one the team’s vocal leaders since they haven’t gotten that out of their stars.