There’s a subtle difference to Nikola Vuevi’s approach this season following a year in which he sacrificed offensively more than any player on the Bulls.
Coach Billy Donovan said he didn’t have a good vantage point to see if LaVine should’ve passed, although like both Vučević and LaVine, he agreed that LaVine had a good look on the attempt.
Regardless, the fact that Vučević shot 5-for-7 from 3-point range when he entered shooting just 26.9 percent from that distance is notable. Even if it’s clear the Bulls don’t want him working solely on the perimeter. “I had some good looks. I was able to take my time and knock them down,” Vučević said. “I feel like the ones I’ve been missing, looking back I feel like I’ve rushed them a little bit. I have a lot of time and space to take them. So I want to make sure I shoot them properly. They went in and I feel like it helped us get back in the game. I’ll continue to shoot them. I work on them every day.”
Vučević finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds and three assists. He became the first player in franchise history to make five 3-pointers with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds. This performance came on a night the Bulls played without an injured Andre Drummond, who Donovan used to close over Vučević in Friday’s loss in San Antonio. And it came against Joel Embiid, who had a night himself with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists.“I’d like be on the court as much as I can,” Vučević said. “Obviously, we miss 'Dre. He’s a big part of what we do. But I’ve played Embiid a lot over the years. We’ve had some good battles when I was in Orlando.