Nikola

Vucevic

Vucevic has gotten off to an incredibly strong start to the season and currently ranks as a first-round value in 9-cat leagues.This can be directly attributed to one of the best shooting stretches of his career. Vucevic has shot 59.4% from the floor so far this season and 84.8% from the line, both of which would be career-highs. He has been better this season than he was during any of the years that DeMar DeRozan spent with the Bulls, though a shooting regression could certainly be on the way soon, since he has hit 48.4% of his 3-pointers to this point.

Vucevic was two rebounds shy of a double-double, but had a big scoring night with 25 points. Despite the 18-point loss, he still saw 33 minutes in the contest as he continues to provide great fantasy value this year. The Bulls have one more game this week against the Rockets on Sunday.

Vucevic is up to five double-doubles in seven games in November, and he’s maintaining top 10 per-game value in 9-cat formats. The consistency has been vital for the veteran pivot, who remains a key figure within the Bulls rotation. While some fantasy managers may be tempted to sell high, Vooch should be no worse than a top-50 player at the season’s end. It would be best to hold onto him.

Make it eight double-doubles in 10 games for Vucevic, who remains a top 10 fantasy player through the season’s first three weeks. Some fantasy managers may be grappling with whether or not to sell high. Unless you can get a player with a history of providing second or third-round value, it would be a good idea to hold onto Vucevic. His game is well-suited for fantasy; even if he doesn’t remain a top-10 player, his value is highly unlikely to crater.

Despite nearly ending up on the wrong end of an Anthony Edwards poster dunk (Edwards was called for an offensive foul), Vucevic had another productive night as a scorer. Leading the Bulls with 25 points, he shot the ball well in Thursday’s defeat. However, the limited rebound production (somewhat expected with Rudy Gobert on the other side) was disappointing, with Vucevic’s five boards being the fewest he’s had in a game this season. Chicago visits Atlanta on Saturday to end its Week 3 slate.

Another game, another double-double for Vucevic, who has recorded one in four straight and seven of eight to start the season. Zach LaVine’s continued absence had the potential to free up even more scoring opportunities for Vooch, but the Bulls being run out of the gym put the kibosh on that. Chicago returns home to host Minnesota on Thursday night.

Vooch has always been solid in fantasy basketball, but he’s currently producing better value than he ever has before. His numbers are up across the board from last season, but his shooting percentages have been the best marks of his career, which has led to his early success. Those numbers will likely regulate as the season progresses, though his early impact has been huge, even if the Bulls haven’t been great. Vooch will continue to be a strong option in fantasy hoops, even if he wasn’t the most exciting pick on draft day.

Make it five double-doubles in six games for Vucevic, a top-10 player regarding per-game fantasy value. And that’s with limited defensive production, with Vooch averaging 0.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. Vucevic’s percentages have made up for that, but those numbers will decrease in time. Vucevic ultimately settling in as a top-50 player as he’s been in seasons past would be unsurprising.

Vooch has recorded a double-double in four out of five games, with Monday’s win over Memphis being the exception. Viewed as a safe fifth-round option in fantasy drafts, Vucevic has been better than that thus far. Maintaining top-40 value for an entire season may be a bit much for this stage of the Bulls center’s career, but the production should not fall off much.

Chicago is playing noticeably faster than last season, leading the NBA in pace. But, this has not negatively impacted Vucevic, who continues to provide solid production. In addition to the scoring and rebounding, he managed to record a blocked shot on Monday. That won’t be something Vucevic does consistently, so fantasy managers should view the defensive stats as a bonus.