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.
Why the Chicago Bulls should start Jalen Smith
Jalen Smith is a young and athletic rim runner that benefitted from the Indiana guard heavy offense. He was the beneficary of a team that was able to create off the bounce, whcih allowed him to have open looks or opportunities at the rim. His 3-point shoot has developed in his first four years, but still is not proven. He is distinctly different in about every way from Vucevic, which creates the question as to what the Bulls will do in this season.
Smith's offensive skillset does seem to fit well with the young Bulls and their desire to play at a quicker pace. Where Smith could be most useful is on the defensive end. The Bulls have lacked a rim protector during Donovan's tenure. I am not sure Smith will fill that need, but he's a more capable shot blocker than Vucevic.
Jalen Smith represents the direction the Bulls want to go. Vooch represents the past that the Bulls are trying to unattach from. The Bulls should prioritize moving on from the Vooch contract over LaVine because his contract is more movable and with the current roster construction Vooch appears not to fit stylistically.
The other issue is that the players offer two different styles that do not complement each other in a rotation scheme. If the Bulls were to play to both players strengths, then they will need to adapt based on who is in the game. They are not necessarily interchangeable.
What should the Bulls do?
They should start Smith and let him play 25-30 minutes per game. Vooch will still be a key piece and get a healthy 20-23 minutes a night. Both Josh Giddey and Lonzo Ball will benefit from a dynamic athlete that can get out and run and this will help the Bulls play with more tempo. If Smith could hold up defensively is still a question mark, but he gives you more flexibility on that end than Vooch.
Vooch shouldn't be disregarded, but his ultimate value in the NBA moving forward is for him to find a role as a veteran leader that can give consistent minutes off the bench. The Bulls still owe him $40 million over the next two years, so they must be careful on how they handle this situation.
To maximize Vucevic's skillset the Bulls should still make him a key offensive piece on the bench unit. The offense will play traditionally through the post when he is in the game with the second unit which will maximize his strengths, but allow the first unit to play fast and give Smith an opportunity to grow.
The Vooch versus Smith camp battle will be interesting and how the Bulls decide to handle the decision will also give insight as how the team will move forward in the near future.