CLEVELAND — The Bulls need Nikola Vucevic.
More than ever right now.
The team confirmed on Thursday that Derrick Jones Jr. was the fifth player to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocol in the last week, joining Coby White, Javonte Green, DeMar DeRozan and Matt Thomas.
White and Green were confirmed positive for the coronavirus. Because of the league’s privacy rules, the other three are only listed as in the protocol.
And then there’s guard Alex Caruso still sidelined with a hamstring injury that’s cost him the last few games.
The roster isn’t short-handed.
It’s decimated.
So to have a once All-Star center missing shots he previously could hit while falling out of bed? Sure, there’s frustration around Vucevic, but the 6-foot-11 center is his toughest critic, especially after what he did in the Wednesday loss to the Cavaliers.
An 8-for-23 game from the field, including a 1-for-7 from three, was not what Vucevic could have envisioned, especially when a lot of the shots were actually good looks.
Which led to the question about his shooting fundamentals.
According to Vucevic, check that off the list. He watches film after games of all of his shots, and said that there was nothing broken.
“I look at all my games obviously, after we play, and my shot feels normal, feels the way it always has,’’ Vucevic said. “For whatever reason I haven’t been able to be consistent offensively as far as my shot making. [Wednesday] was frustrating because I felt like I was getting good looks.’’
He actually was, especially on the seven threes he took.
But that sums up this season for Vucevic. He’s had some solid games lately, especially coming out of his bout with the coronavirus last month, but just too many inconsistent nights for a guy that has shot at least 47% from the field from 2017 through last year, and now inexplicably sits at 41.4% in the 2021-22 campaign.
What coach Billy Donovan has noticed is a bunch of new teammates still trying to figure out how to play with Vucevic, specifically when to get him the ball out of screens or pick-and-pop where he can still stay in a shooting rhythm.
It’s about timing, because like Vucevic, Donovan hasn’t seen any mechanical breakdowns in his shot.
“We’ve got to help him with his rhythm,’’ Donovan said. “I don’t see anything with him or have heard anything from him where he’s said, ‘Hey, my shot is funky,’ or ‘I just don’t feel right shooting.’ I think he feels good. I think he’ll work his way through it. He’s had nights where he didn’t have a good shooting night and he’s come back and responded.’’
The Bulls need that response to happen quickly, even when they get back to full strength.
They were allowed to add Stanley Johnson to a 10-day contract as a hardship exemption, and if Jones did test positive for the virus and will be out for that possible 10-day window, according to the team, they can add a second player.
Beyond needing Vucevic to step up now, they’ll need his presence for a postseason run when the game slows down and post/stretch bigs become even more valuable.
So while Vucevic is frustrated, he’s also confident with his past ability.
“I’ve been in this league for 11 years now, and you’ve got to have a short memory, whether it’s good or bad,’’ Vucevic said. “At the same time use it to fuel me and motivate me. I use it for the next game to try and come out and play better.
“Overall, other than my shot-making, I’ve been doing a lot of good things for my team. I’m just trying to get more consistent with [the shooting].’’
