When Serbian curse words begin to fly, it’s a sign that Nikola Vucevic’s business is starting to pick up.
Over the years, certain teammates as well as NBA officials have received a bit of that. Even coach Billy Donovan experienced a taste of that on the first night of the 2023–24 regular season in their well-recorded yelling fight.
After all, Vucevic’s desire to read more lines in the playwright’s screenplay was a topic of conversation last summer when the front office was debating whether to extend the big man’s contract. Therefore, he needed a way to vent off his displeasure when things weren’t going as he had hoped during the preseason games and again during the home opener versus Oklahoma City.
Time travel to the final game of November and the whole month of December, when the Bulls may have begun to salvage the season.
The Bulls were 5-14 prior to their overtime victory over Milwaukee, and Vucevic was averaging 15.4 points and just 3.1 assists per game, wasting too many offensive possessions as a 6-foot-11 decoy.
After that, in the 12 games he played, the Bulls went 8-4, and Vucevic averaged 18.7 points per game along with four assists a night, not to mention the assists he made in the hockey game with the pass before the pass, which kept him out of action for a few games.
Donovan praised Vucevic’s improvement this year, saying, “We’ve been able to do more things where he’s kind of initiating actions from the elbows.” “He prefers an offensive style that allows him to perform all those kinds of things. He has the ability to roll into the pocket, pop, pick, and sort of read those circumstances.
“I believe he’s at a really positive place. I felt Zach LaVine, who typically produces and performs that for us, really helped us with our ball movement when he went down (with a right foot injury).
Could the Bulls envision him doing that for someone else?
It’s a compelling question, particularly given that Vucevic surpasses the extend-and-trade limits and becomes trade available on December 28th under the league’s veteran extension.
Undoubtedly, a flexible big man with three-point shooting talent who can also stretch the floor and be a solid passer would be useful to some schemes. In fact, Golden State appears to have posted a “Help Wanted” sign in search of a player who meets that criteria.
One issue: Arturas Karnisovas, the executive vice president of basketball operations for the Bulls, is still primarily concerned with attempting to offload LaVine and quickly reassemble this team.
In the present trade market, it would be absurd to acquire a versatile big back for Vucevic, which would leave only Andre Drummond in the middle. This would severely limit Donovan’s ability to play offensively and leave the Bulls without any big off the bench.
No, Karnisovas has to be in blow-up mode, which he hasn’t been for the past two seasons, for Vucevic to be dealt.
Vucevic, who has been enjoying his position on this squad lately, is cool with it.
“I can help this team in a lot of ways, not just by scoring goals; I can also make plays,” Vucevic stated. “Using me as a guy who can create plays for other people, be it a flash, a catch, a move off the ball, a roll to the posts, or anything else.” I believe it greatly benefits our team. Not only myself, I believe that everyone has been happier lately. It is visible to you. The manner we’re playing outside demonstrates it.
“I’m enjoying it more and playing with more confidence these days. I hope things stay like way.