Nikola Vucevic's stint with the Chicago Bulls has been rather hot and cold. The former All-Star center has been solid for the team, but fans desired a little more out of him. After all, he was an All-Star, and carried multiple iterations of his former team on his back.
Now, we got to see the Serbian at his best. Facing a gritty Pacers team, Nikola Vucevic carried the Bulls on his back, posting monster stats in the game. He scored 36 points on efficient shooting, along with 17 rebounds and 3 blocks. His statline matches another Chicago legend: Michael Jordan himself. (via ESPN Stats & Info)
Nikola Vucevic is the first Bulls player since Michael Jordan in 1996 with 35 points, 15 rebounds & 3 blocks in a single game pic.twitter.com/lgUaDiY6Kp
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 5, 2022




The Bulls needed every bit of Nikola Vucevic's Michael Jordan-esque performance against the Pacers. Caris LeVert had himself a career game himself, and Indiana bothered them all night long. In the end, though, it was rookie Ayo Dosunmu's emphatic dunk with less than 10 seconds left that sealed the win for the team, keeping them on top of the Eastern Conference.
Vucevic came to Chicago last season as part of a mid-season deal. Even then, long-time fans saw the foundations of a great team building with Lavine and Vucevic. The additions of DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso finally put this team over the hump, as they now look like a legitimate championship contender.
There's still some flaws that the Bulls need to address: their rebounding as a team has been less than ideal. However, with Vucevic performing at this level alongside DeRozan and Lavine, those weaknesses may not matter on their path to the championship.