The Chicago Bulls will be without center Nikola Vucevic for the next week or so.
Vucevic is dealing with a groin strain.
“A lot of it is going to be how he responds to rehab,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan told reporters. “He obviously was pretty sore after [Saturday’s] game and obviously over Christmas.”
Vucevic is averaging 16.7 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists for the Bulls this season. The two-time All-Star is shooting 45.2% from the field, 28.1% from beyond the arc and 87.5% from the free-throw line.
The Bulls signed Vucevic to a three-year, $60 million extension in June. The former Orlando Magic star is making $18.5 million this season.
Vucevic has 17 double-doubles in 31 games this season. The Bulls are 13-18 when the big man is in the lineup.
The 33-year-old Vucevic has career averages of 17.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists with the Magic and Bulls. Chicago acquired the Morges native from Orlando in March 2021.
A few weeks ago, the Bulls were a walking disaster. However, they have turned things around and are now 14-18 on the season, good for 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings. It will be intriguing to see if the Bulls can continue to win games with both Vucevic and All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine sidelined.
Andre Drummond started for Vucevic last night against the Atlanta Hawks and had a vintage performance. The center put up 24 points and 25 rebounds in 38 minutes while shooting 11-of-13 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
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