Bulls center Nikola Vucevic isn’t worried about his shooting numbers. He knows that they’ll get better and that the slump won’t last.
The numbers he cares the most about are his 4.5 assists per game and the Bulls’ 6-2 record. The rest will fall into place.
‘‘There are many ways you can impact the game, screening and doing other things that I can to just help the team,’’ Vucevic said Friday. ‘‘But I think when you have so much talent around you, you have to adjust a little bit, change your game and play a different way, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.’’
If Vucevic’s 4.5-assist average holds up for the entire season, it would be a career high. The numbers he hopes don’t hold up are his 38.9% shooting from the field and 28.1% shooting from three-point range.
That’s why coach Billy Donovan said after the loss Wednesday in Philadelphia that he wants teammates to search out Vucevic a bit more on the offensive end to help him get out of the slump.
‘‘I think it’s just us learning to play with each other,’’ Vucevic said. ‘‘For some of the guys, maybe it’s an adjustment to play with a big man who can pop and shoot and space the floor as much as I do. It’s learning to play together and building that chemistry.
‘‘There were games I had a lot of shots, and last game I didn’t have as many. But nothing to worry about. We talked about it. The concern is we can see that and feel we can help the team offensively a lot. . . . Just one game, so no big deal.’’
