Nikola Vucevic sat the last 19 minutes of the Bulls’ 129-126 win over Charlotte on Friday, which snapped Chicago’s seven-game losing streak. Coach Billy Donovan said the decision did not reflect his long-term plans for the position, according to Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune.
Zach Collins wound up playing 20 minutes, contributing 16 points and eight rebounds, and Jalen Smith played 17 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds.
“Whatever the case may be — maybe next game it’s not my night,” Collins said. “Maybe it’s Stix (Smith’s) night closing the game, maybe it’s Vooch’s night. We’ve got really good bigs that can finish games. Now we’re at the point where we can play the 4 and the 5. I just think it’s the tribute to the level of bigs we have that we can mess with the lineups like that.”
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Amid a report that the Timberwolves have inquired on Coby White, the Bulls guard replied that he’d prefer to stay put, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network. “I love being here. I love being on this team,” said White, who is in his walk year. “But I understand it’s a business and it’s different going into (UFA). They have to do what they think is best for the organization. It’s out of my control.” Johnson notes that while White is definitely on some teams’ radar, there is currently little to no engagement from potential suitors (Twitter links).
- They have taken some criticisms in the media for not making a trade with the Pelicans on draft night. New Orleans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars surprisingly traded the No. 23 overall pick and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Hawks to move up to No. 13 to draft Maryland big man Derik Queen. However, a high-ranking Bulls official told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times that the Pelicans never contacted them, contradicting Dumars’ subsequent statements. In fact, if New Orleans had presented such a trade, the Bulls would have done the deal.
- Smith, Isaac Okoro and Tre Jones were under minutes restrictions on Friday after returning from injuries, according to Poe. Okoro had 15 points in 26 minutes while Jones added six points and five assists in 25 minutes.