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Chicago Bulls: 3 players who could heat up during final stretch
Chicago Bulls, Nikola Vucevic. Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
2. Nikola Vucevic could continue his run of good form with the Chicago Bulls.
Since coming to Chicago via trade this past March, All-Star center Nikola Vucevic has averaged 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game with a .517/.453/.861 shooting line. More encouragingly, the advanced metrics — 5.8 BPM, 0.45 LEBRON, 1.4 RAPTOR, 2.7 EPM (the latter three numbers are his totals with the Bulls and the Orlando Magic) — give the big thumbs up to those impressive rate stats.
In short, trading for Vooch looks like the right decision by the Bulls.
That said, the team’s results have made it seem like anything but. Since trading for Vucevic, the Bulls are 7-11 with a -2.3 net rating (22nd in the NBA during that span). Worse yet, the on/off numbers show that the team is better when he isn’t on the floor, though much of that could be due to the less-than-stellar teammates around him (Zach LaVine also hasn’t been around to buoy the team due to the COVID Health and Safety protocols).
Look, most fans know that Vucecic isn’t a top-tier superstar player who will prop up an otherwise underwhelming club, but as the primary option in a LaVine-less lineup (and the secondary one whenever he returns), he’ll get plenty of chances to help the Bulls offense maintain their status quo for the rest of the season.
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play-in tournament</a> or the traditional playoff field outright. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have a guy who averages 27.5 points per game on the floor, especially when that production makes your offense 6.7 points per 100 possessions better.</p>
<p>With only a few games left, the idea of LaVine returning, going on a tear, and helping the Bulls make the play-in tourney seems like a precarious one, particularly considering the arduous path the team has to go through to make that happen.</p>
<p>Having an upper-tier three-level scorer who regularly draws contact would make that pursuit easier. Sure, it would probably take LaVine a couple of games to get going again, but once he gets back into rhythm, fans will likely see the scoring outputs that have made him one of the best offensive players in the league this year (96th percentile in offensive EPM).</p>
<p>Of course, this all hinges on when LaVine returns to action.</p>
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