Nikola Vučević's start to his Chicago Bulls tenure hasn't got off to the start he or the Bulls' organization had hoped for since they traded for the two-time all-star. Inconsistency plagued his first full season in Chicago while the Bulls' regression this year has fans wondering if the front office made the right move shipping off future assets for the former Orlando Magic center.
Vučević opened up to the Chicago Sun-Times about how he has handled some of the outward hate from fans.
‘‘Fans get caught up in the moment a lot,’’ Vucevic told the Sun-Times. ‘‘Honestly, since I’ve been [with the Bulls], even when things weren’t going well for me personally, I’ve mainly felt support from Bulls fans in person.
‘‘Now social media is something else. People on social media write whatever they want. This team wouldn’t work if I tried to play the same way I did in Orlando. I can’t help it if people don’t see that. We have two big-time scorers [in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine], so it’s about me adjusting my game to them.”
Like last season, the trio of Lavine, DeRozan and Vučević hasn't produced the way Chicago has needed them to when they have been on the court together. In 310 minutes, the Bulls have a -6.0 net rating when all of them share the floor. It has been an adjustment for Vučević, who was the primary offensive option for the Magic when he put up all-star caliber numbers.
‘‘One of my best qualities is I’ve adjusted my game while still being effective in different ways. Some of the stuff I’m the best at, I’m not able to do in this offense. But it’s for the good of the team. That’s what matters.’’
The Bulls, 8-11, are a half a game out of the play-in tournament.
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