Chicago Bulls: 3 players that will be affected by Lonzo Ball
By Ryan Taylor
Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball both playing for the Chicago Bulls is amazing.
Nikola Vucevic has found a home here in Chicago. Paired with LaVine, the two make a great fit for offensive alphas and basketball efficiency. However, with Ball now working the offense, Vucevic’s role may be a bit impeded on offense. Ball and Vucevic are completely opposite players. Ball is a better full-court player than he is half-court and Vucevic is notorious for being a slower, half-court player.
In short time, Arturas Karnisovas has built the Bulls to his vision. He hired a respected coach in Billy Donovan, made a blockbuster to add the big man he coveted in Nikola Vucevic, and then solidified that core with the ideal complement to Vucevic and Zach LaVine in Lonzo Ball.
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) August 2, 2021
How will the two work for the Bulls? There will have to be two sides of the offense that work fluidly. One half will be on the defensive and transition side that is led by Ball and LaVine to get quick buckets. The other half has to be using Vucevic in a half-court setting to let him the advantage of matchups and create opportunities for his teammates.
It will be up to Donovan to make it work but it shouldn’t be a problem for these professionals. The name of the game will have to be efficient for the Bulls’ offense this season. Like LaVine, Vucevic will enjoy having Ball on defense. Ball’s tenacity against guards should help tone down the number of looks that opposing bigs will see.
This is important because Vucevic has not kept up with the role of a rim protector. While he had a positive defensive box plus/minus, he had a pretty off-putting defensive rating of 109 and he produced just 1.1 blocks per game. Nevertheless, the two should be able to use each other’s skillsets to each other’s advantage but it will be a project.