On the subject of Vucevic, his injury comes with thoughts on his recent play. He has struggled mightily this season, with inconsistent shooting highlighting the disappointing first half of the year. His last five games are exemplary of his erratic offensive play. Against Boston and Cleveland in the past five games, he combined to sink 23 field goals on 41 shots, tallying 51 combined points over those two games. Sandwiched between those was a seven-point, 2-of-13 outing against the Grizzlies. Following that was Sunday night's performance against the Magic, where Vucevic scored 13 points on 4-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-8 shooting from deep. On top of his offensive struggles, he admitted that his defense was lackadaisical. He centrally allowed Carter Jr. to score 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting and Mo Wagner to score 23 points off the bench on 9-of-13 shooting. Carter and Wagner represent two players the Bulls jettisoned for Vucevic last season. "The shooting is part of the game," Vucevic said. "I was more disappointed in my focus defensively. Some of the things I've been pretty good at so far this year -- getting back, going for pump fakes, not being in the right position in pick-and-rolls, and things like that. There are so many ways for me to impact the game and I didn't bring the energy and focus tonight that I needed to help us win the game."
He has no excuse for his performance, and he knows it. Early this season, he even received a two-game, one-week break from playing games due to the postponements of the Raptors and Pistons' games from the Bulls' outbreak of Covid-19. But, he's failed to get back to his old self. Could injury make things worse? Maybe. If he can't practice and is forced to sit out, it could affect his rhythm on the court. On the other hand, he has no rhythm on the court. His inability to put down shots, especially over substandard centers, is ridiculous. With all the hope in the world that Vucevic's recovery from his knee injury is speedy and effective, the hope is his rejuvenation on both sides of the floor follows the same expeditious path.
Comments
Join the discussion below. Keep it civil and focused on the content.








Loading comments...