The Chicago Bulls offseason has been perplexing and time will tell if the transactions that were made will pay off. One thing is evident, Arturas Karnisovas and the front office have created internal competition at about every position.
One training camp battle to keep an eye on would be at the center position between Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith. This training camp battle represents the conundrum that Bulls face with the awkward blend of veterans that expect to play significant minutes and a group of young players that need time for development.
Ultimately, Vucevic and Smith are in line for substantial playing time regardless since they are the only two bigs on the roster, but in true Bulls fashion they hardly complement each other in style of play. This makes the training camp battle an intruging story line as the team reports in a few weeks.
Why the Bulls should stick with Nikola Vucevic...or not
On the surface, Vooch is a reliable and capable pro. He has started 94 percent of Bulls games in the last three seasons. He has averaged nearly 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists in each of those campaigns. The list of players in 2023-24 season that produced more than Vucevic in those counting stats are as follows:
Players that averaged better than 18 PPG, 10.5 REB, 3 AST |
|---|
Domantas Sabonis |
Anthony Davis |
Nikola Jokic |
Giannis Antetokounmpo |
Victor Wembanyama |
Bam Adebayo |
That is very elite company, but it would foolish to consider Vucevic at this point in his career in the same league as the players mentioned. At $20 million per year for the next two seasons, Vooch appears to be a reasonable bargin. However, there are three glaring issues.
First, Vooch is not efficient. He takes 15 shots per game, but only shoots 55 percent on 2PA. He lacks the athleticism and the ability to play above the rim, so he relies on midrange and craftiness. He does take a healthy four attempts from three per game, which ranks in the top 10 in the NBA for centers. However, he only shot 29 percent from deep, which isn't going to to cut it for a good NBA team
Second, Vooch is a high usage player, but only gets to the free throw line at a paltry 1.7 per game clip. That is a tell-tale sign that his game relies more on perimeter jump shots than creating at the rim. That ranks him near the bottom of starting centers in the NBA.
Lastly, but most importantly, Vucevic just doesn't fit defenisvely in the NBA. In theory, his offensive game would make up for his defensive shortcomings, but his scoring inefficiencies do not lend for that. He lacks rim protection and switch-ability, which basically means he is a huge liability on the defensive end. He does understand the game, positioning and does pursue rebounds outside his area, which helps mask some of his deficiencies. At this point with Vooch, it is weighing pros and cons and the negatives seem to be outweighing the positives.
Just like Zach LaVine, the market for Nikola Vucevic is limited. His price tag is reasonable, but NBA teams are not looking for traditional back to basket bigs. In the NBA, teams are looking for rim runners (Derek Lively), floor spacers (Brook Lopez), or players that can connect the offense (Bam Adebayo). Unfortuantely, Vooch does not fit the bill in any of these areas.
The Bulls do have another option.