Bulls' Nikola Vučević has quietly become one of the NBA's most consistent players

New York Times

16-04-2025

Coby White can find humor in most things, but when a conversation turned to Chicago Bulls teammate Nikola Vučević's age, White stopped laughing.
'I don't talk to him about that,' White told The Athletic. 'He ain't that old. How old is he, like, 34? He doesn't play like he's old.'
Vučević, who turns 35 in October, is the oldest player on a suddenly younger and more athletic Bulls squad. Surrounded by jovial twentysomethings inside a loose and lighthearted locker room, Vučević easily could be targeted with endless wisecracks. But the Bulls appreciate their anchor too much.
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Chicago enters Wednesday's Play-In Tournament against the Miami Heat after winning 15 of their final 20 games. The Bulls finished with a 39-43 regular-season record, similar to last season, even after trading Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan last summer and Zach LaVine days before the trading deadline.
After many assumed he'd also be traded, Vučević has remained as the improbable lynchpin on one of the league's most surprising teams.
'He's the key to a lot of what they do because of his ability to stretch the floor and score in the post,' Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. 'It changes the way you have to guard them when he's playing at a high level. They're playing faster. They're shooting more. I think their guys are playing better, and I think it starts with Vučević.'
In his 14th season, Vučević continues to be one of the league's most consistent, albeit polarizing performers. Bulls vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas routinely refers to Vučević as a 'double-double machine,' while some fans have complained about his shortcomings. The biggest criticism of Vučević centers around his defense and how, on some nights, he must overcome size and athleticism disadvantages. For 4 1/2 seasons, some have allowed those areas of weakness to overshadow Vučević's elite productivity.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Vučević, Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Domantas Sabonis are the only players who have averaged at least 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in a minimum of 300 games. That makes Vučević not just consistent but also durable. He's appeared in 330 of a possible 357 games since joining the Bulls.
'I think his consistency comes from his work ethic,' said Jokić, a three-time MVP and a close friend of Vučević. 'That's something that was probably in his family because his dad was a basketball player, and he gave him that. Consistency is something that you work for during the summer; you thrive on that.
'I think we, as European players, we really are proud of that, that we can say we are really consistent as a player. He's a really intelligent player, really smart, knows how to get his shot. It's something that he's done for 14 years, so it's amazing to see.'
Vučević ranked seventh in the league with 45 double-doubles this season. He recorded a triple-double (20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists) in a Feb. 2 game against the Detroit Pistons. But one of the biggest differences in his performance this season was his shooting accuracy. He bounced back from a difficult shooting season a year ago to post career highs from the field (53 percent) and 3-point range (40.2 percent on 4.4 attempts per game).
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'It's the hardest thing in this league,' Vučević said of consistency. 'There's so many games. There's a lot of ups and downs. You win, you lose. You have good games, bad games. But you just have to learn to deal with it and move on. I just try to bring it every night and do what I do and not get out of that.
'I've had better years and worse years, but I don't think there's been a huge difference in the way I've played and my numbers. So, I take a lot of pride in it. I try to bring it every night.'
White, the team's 25-year-old leading scorer, praised Vučević for his reliability. He said his big man makes the guards' jobs easier.
'You just never have to worry about him in that aspect of showing up for a game and being ready to play,' White said.
DeRozan, a former teammate of Vučević in college at USC and for three NBA seasons with the Bulls, credited Vučević's commitment to his craft.
'I mean, Vooch takes care of himself extremely well,' DeRozan said. 'The things he does off the court, people probably won't see. He does a lot of stuff to stay on top of his game. He was always the first guy in the weight room, constantly working on his body, getting his body together. All of the stuff like that is what gives you longevity.
'Knock on wood, he's never hurt. He's always available. That's just a testament to his hard work that he puts toward the game off the court.'
Vooch has 13 pts halfway through the first quarter 🔥@CHSN__ | @NikolaVucevic pic.twitter.com/f6Un6MZcxc
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 5, 2025
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said casual observers might not appreciate Vučević's understanding of the game. Donovan said Vučević has a great IQ and plays the game the right way, often turning down good shots to help the team get better shots. Donovan, however, pointed to Vučević's professionalism when asked what he appreciates most about his center.
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'He comes in every day and he works,' Donovan said. 'He's very diligent in terms of his preparation. He's reliable. You know what you're getting day to day from him.'
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball added that Vučević's demeanor makes a difference each day.
'He's so even-keeled all the time,' Ball said. 'Obviously when he starts talking his language, he's a little angry; limit those techs. But other than that, he's so easy to get along with. He's never complaining. He's never saying, 'Give me this. Give me that.' He just comes to work every day, and he's a pleasure to be around.'
Vučević didn't anticipate being the last former All-Star standing in Chicago this season. He's experienced enough of the business of the NBA to know anything can happen. At times, Vučević thought he would be traded.
But through all the rumors and uncertainty, Vučević's professionalism never wavered.
'Honestly, I came into the year trying to really embrace it and be a good example for these guys,' Vučević said. 'I have to say, they all really are good guys. They work hard. They try to do the right things. When you're young, you're going to make mistakes. It's not going to be perfect. There're going to be ups and downs. And sometimes, as a veteran, you do get a little frustrated. But that's part of it. I can live with that if I see they're really trying to grow and improve and learn.'
Vučević said he's enjoyed watching the development of longtime teammates such as White, Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams. They make him feel old, though.
'I feed off their energy. It's a very different time from when I was younger,' Vučević said. 'It's a different mindset and things, but I enjoy it. You try to embrace it. We're at different points in life. I have three kids; I'm a dad. They're young. Sometimes when they see me do certain things, it's funny to them because I'm older. But it's fun. I think when you're an older guy, you still enjoy being around younger guys and feeding off their energy and seeing what they do.'
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What Vučević wants more than anything now is a deep playoff run. He's journeyed to the playoffs only four times. The first time was his rookie season in Philadelphia. He appeared in only one contest in that 2012 postseason, logging just three minutes. His next three postseason appearances, two with Orlando and one with Chicago, ended with first-round exits.
Vučević, however, never has had the luxury of playing on a superteam. Aside from his time with DeRozan and LaVine, Vučević's best teammates have been the likes of Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Victor Oladipo, Arron Afflalo, Tobias Harris and Evan Fournier. The spotlight has never truly reached Vučević, despite his annual consistency, because he's never played on the big stage.
'I'm grateful for the career I've had so far,' Vučević said. 'It's better than I ever imagined when I was a little kid dreaming of the NBA. Even when I first got to the NBA, I never thought I'd make the All-Star Game or be one of the best big men in the NBA. I'm very grateful for what I have, but I'm also the type of guy who's never satisfied. I always want more. Although my career so far has been very good, I think there's a lot of room still for me to do much more.'
He continued: 'It's definitely my main focus to have team success, be able to enjoy those deep playoff runs, play for something very meaningful. We all dream of the championship, and I know that's very hard to achieve. Not many players have done it. But just having a chance to be on a good team that competes for something big, obviously that would mean a lot to me and something I would really enjoy doing. But sometimes it's out of my control.'
Vučević takes pleasure in knowing that his peers respect his game. He laughed when asked about the double-double machine moniker, but also expressed gratitude.
'It's nice to hear because it means people respect what you do,' he said. 'They acknowledge what you do, and you always enjoy those things. I mean, it's a little thing. I know people joke about it sometimes, but it's something I definitely enjoy hearing. It means people respect my game and respect what I do. It also speaks to my consistency. I've been able to do it year after year.'