Got poked with the vax for the second time yesterday! I got a few body aches, but things are going pretty smoothly overall.
Next stop: THE UNITED CENTER!! Oh, wait, it’s not open yet? Ah, damn.
Wrigley Field it is!
• You don’t say?
Nikola Vucevic is averaging 25.7 points and 11.7 rebounds vs. Miami this season.
Only players to do that vs. Heat in a regular season (two-game minimum) are …
Karl Malone (4x), Blake Griffin, Olajuwon, Anthony Davis, Ewing, Embiid, Garnett, Jokic, David Robinson and Westbrook
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) April 24, 2021
• To be quite honest, this is pretty surprising. Miami allows the fewest points in the paint per game, and they also rank 7th-overall in defensive rating. Vucevic has already played them three times this season with Orlando, walking away with a 1-2 record. In his most recent outing against the team, he had himself a pretty ridiculous 38-point, 10-rebound, 6-assist performance. Those are some impressive numbers, but we can’t share them without mentioning that Bam Adebayo was on the sideline that night. In fact, Adebayo only took the court for the first meeting Vucevic had with Miami, which also happened to be opening night. Vooch had a much more tamed 15 points and 11 rebounds that day (though, he did pick up the win). So we’ll have to see whether Vucevic can carry over his momentum from his last performance or whether the similarly versatile Adebayo can keep him in check.
• Miami might be producing some inconsistent results this season, but their brand of basketball never changes. The Bulls know to expect a dog fight when they step foot into American Airlines Arena, and (unfortunately for them) that’s a fight they usually lose. The Heat force the 7th-most turnovers per game and they score the 11th-most points off those turnovers. The last time the Bulls played a scrappy defensive-minded team like this it was the Memphis Grizzlies, who they lost to by double-digits both nights.
• Where the Bulls can find some solace is on the offensive end. The Heat rank 24th in offense this season, which is low enough to put their overall Net Rating just one spot higher than Chicago’s at 20th. Despite not experiencing drastic change in the offseason, their effective field goal percentage has dropped from 3rd-best in 2019-20 to 16th-best this season. A huge reason for that decrease is the team’s success rate behind the arc. One season ago they shot 37.9 percent from 3-point range, which ranked 2nd behind only the Utah Jazz. This season, Miami ranks 24th after hitting just 35.0 percent of their 3’s thus far. Don’t get me wrong, I still give this Heat team the easy edge in tonight’s matchup, but there are holes for this Bulls team to exploit.
• Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale put together an algorithm to rank the most clutch players this season, and Zach LaVine got some big-time recognition. The Bulls All-Star guard ranked 5th in the league behind only Damian Lillard, James Harden, Terry Rozier, and Jamal Murray. All things considered, that’s pretty good company. To better understand exactly how Favale reached his consensus, I encourage you to go give the article a read.
• Speaking of LaVine, NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson outlined his future contract situation well in his most recent mailbag. And, fortunately for the Bulls, Johnson does seem to believe that LaVine is loyal enough to the organization that he would plan to stick around long-term. However, whether or not that means LaVine would actually be open for taking less than the max extension is still up for debate.
And while LaVine has played himself into max contract extension status, he’s also a smart and loyal guy. That’s not to suggest he’s going to be bending over backwards for a hometown discount, particularly after what happened in 2018. It’s more to note that he and Vučević are represented by the same agency and LaVine long has placed a premium on winning. So if he likes what the Bulls are building and both sides are committed to making a long-term partnership work, there’s a path to making everybody happy.
• I give LaVine a lot of credit. He has always said the right thing when it comes to conversations about his future, practically never suggesting that he would want to be anywhere other than Chicago. I truly do believe he is invested in bringing this organization back to a playoff-caliber level of competitiveness, but I also think money and time can change things. At the end of the day, this organization is going to have to convince him to stay. The Nikola Vucevic addition was the beginning of that process, but this offseason will arguably be even more important. Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley need to build out the roster well enough that (1) LaVine feels confident in their long-term vision and (2) LaVine actual sees results on the court.
Bulls mailbag: Discussing Bulls' Nikola Vučević trade and Zach LaVine's future
For @NBCSChicago: https://t.co/Q9tfOKluMY
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 23, 2021
• Injury report remains mostly the same for tonight.
Zach LaVine and Troy Brown Jr. are out vs. Heat. Patrick Williams is probable with left heel soreness.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 24, 2021
• Scottie sent his love to the Bulls after the organization held a moment of silence for his late son. RIP Antron.
Thank you, @chicagobulls, and to all of you who have reached out this week. I feel your love and support, and it means so much. pic.twitter.com/mnAj15avYh
— Scottie Pippen (@ScottiePippen) April 23, 2021