Only four players in the NBA are clearing 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 three-pointers per game. Perennial All-NBAers Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Victor Wembanyama clear the aforementioned threshold. The fourth is none other than Chicago Bull Nikola Vucevic.
The 34-year-old Vucevic is the eldest of the group and the sole player not to earn an All-Star nod averaging such statistics. Vucevic is averaging 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.8 three-pointers per game while converting 53.3 percent of his field goals and 38.7 percent of his triples.
The two-time All-Star was even better in the earlier portion of the season. Vooch averaged 21.1 points in November and 20.0 points in December. In both months prior to January 2025, the 6-foot-10 big man shot north of 55.0 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three-point range. After a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, Vucevic has played his way back into the top-10 center conversation.
Despite Vucevic's stellar campaign, he's repeatedly been disregarded as one of the NBA's better players. First, over a month ago, those around the NBA failed to recognize Vucevic as an All-Star. Several players with subpar statistics were selected for the All-Star game in lieu of Vooch.
Nikola Vucevic was absent from FanSided's Top 99 Players list
Nonetheless, the 34-year-old's exclusion from the All-Star game wasn't all that surprising—those averaging worse statistics suited up for better squads than Vucevic. Chicago's record surely didn't help in getting the two-time All-Star a third appearance. However, another recent form of disrespect was too drastic to overlook.
In FanSided's NBA 99 player rankings, Vucevic was nowhere to be found. Not even a second glance yielded an image of the sweet-shooting big man. He's notably ranked below several questionable inclusions.
FanSided has Myles Turner, Ivica Zubac, Isaiah Hartenstein, Brook Lopez, Walker Kessler, Onyeka Okongwu, Naz Reid, Daniel Gafford, Guerschon Yabusele, and Derrick Lively II ranked ahead of Vucevic. Not one of the 10 mentioned bigs are averaging more points or assists than Vooch, and only two average more rebounds.
Sure, basketball is more than scoring, rebounding, and passing. Defense plays a big part, something Vucevic isn't particularly known for. Still, he's not atrocious enough on the less glamorous end to be completely excluded from the top 99 of any player rankings. His defensive counting and advanced statistics are eerily similar to Karl-Anthony Towns'.
Vucevic's exclusion from the rankings is disheartening. The Bulls don't deserve more credit where credit's not due, but there's no reason to believe the Bulls' best player isn't one of the best 99 players in the NBA. Aside from Vooch, there's a case to be made for Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu. Fair warning, don't get us started on Giddey—especially after how well he's been playing as of late.