Chicago Bulls: Here’s what each new addition brings to the table
By Ryan Taylor
Chicago Bulls Trade Deadline Addition: Nikola Vucevic
Nikola Vučević brings a whole new game to the Bulls. Bulls Vice President of Operations, Arturas Karnisovas, explains what he brings to the Bulls.
"“He can score, he can score in the low, he can score from three, he’s a facilitator,” said Karnisovas via a Chicago Bulls media session. “I think one of the best things that he can do is facilitate shots for others — besides the fact that he’s a 25 (points) and 12 (rebounds) player.”"
The best thing about Vučević is that he can bring a lot to the team on both sides of the ball. This year he’s having his best season offensively. He is averaging 24.5 points per game off of 48 percent shooting and 40.6 percent shooting from three. His shooting is so lights out that the Magic run off-ball screens to free him up from behind the arc.
The Bulls will most likely use him as a shooter in pick-and-pop situations, but also in a similar role that Thaddeus Young plays into the offense currently. Vučević is a dangerous post player, able to finish nearly 70 percent from 0-3 feet around the rim. But, he is also excellent at passing the ball to outside shooters or back door cutters, which is exactly how the Bulls’ offense runs.
Defensively, he isn’t an absolute monster, but he can certainly help out with interior defense. He is 6-foot-11 and weighs 260 pounds. He holds a career positive defensive box plus/minus, and this season he is sporting a 0.2 DBPM. Vučević is also terrific at defending players from mid-range, allowing just 41.6 percent of his opponents’ shots to drop from 3-14 feet from the basket.