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Billy Donovan praises Nikola Vucevic for playing underrated defense

"He's a smart defender. I would say he's played very well for us defensively."

Stephen Beslic

© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
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Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic will never be mistaken for Rudy Gobert or Victor Wembanyama. He’s not a feared rim protector, nor does he swat shots out toward the fourth row, but he is a solid defender who has received praise from his head coach, Billy Donovan.

Vooch has always held his own

Vucevic has never been profiled as a good defender, but a look at his career numbers shows he’s averaged nearly a block and a steal in his 13-year NBA career. And for a Bulls’ defense that has always lacked that interior presence, Vooch’s contribution on that end of the floor has not gone unnoticed.

“One of the things we’ve kind of gotten away from is just being straight drop with him just because the guard gets screened, it’s so hard for a big that’s back when you got a guy coming at him with a head of steam,” Donovan said.

“When the ball has come downhill, he’s done a pretty good job of going vertical. He’s always been an elite defensive rebounder. Being a veteran, he’s seen so many of these guys, and he’s diligent in his work.”

A smart defender

Playing great defense in the NBA is a chore most players can’t handle. In between moving your feet, communicating with your teammates, and keeping track of the ball, it can be overwhelming. However, Vooch pulls all these off. He's not the most athletic or agile big man, but he makes up for it with his high basketball IQ and strong defensive instincts.

“He’s not going to be as good as [Timberwolves center] Rudy Gobert in drop, but we felt comfortable switching with him in certain situations and putting him on different guys, and he understands how to gap and move his feet. He’s a smart defender. I would say he’s played very well for us defensively,” Donovan continued.

“I would say Vooch is pretty disciplined, and the thing that’s great about him is you can have different coverages on a given possession because of his IQ. Maybe he’s up, maybe he traps, maybe he kind of comes up and goes back, tries to mix it up a little bit. His IQ is really good, so I think that’s what has continued to help him evolve as a big guy.”

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Stephen Beslic
STEPHEN BESLIC

Stephen Beslic is a writer on Sports Illustrated's FanNation Network. Stephen played basketball from the age of 10 and graduated from Faculty of Economic and Business in Zagreb, Croatia, majoring in Marketing.

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