Here’s the latest Chicago Bulls news following an Oct. 28 road win over the Memphis Grizzlies, including the team’s new unique point guard duo, the Bulls shooting their way to a new franchise record, and is Nikola Vucevic’s new 3-point stroke for real?
Josh Giddey had his best game in a Bulls uniform in the team’s comeback win in Memphis. He finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and only two turnovers. He added a block and a steal, went 2-of-4 from three and ended the night as a +11.
That’s Giddey at his best – approaching a triple-double, not turning the ball over and shooting well from deep.
Lonzo Ball had six points on 2-of-4 shooting from three. He added six assists and was a team-high +16. He also bypassed his minutes restriction by playing 18 off the bench.
Giddey is 6-foot-8 and a flashy passer, while Ball is 6-foot-6 and, even after his long injury absence, remains a knockdown 3-point shooter and solid defender. Both have high basketball IQs.
The duo gives head coach Billy Donovan multiple options in the backcourt but with length, intelligence and someone to run the offense at all times.
Bulls set new franchise record for 3-pointers made in a game
Chicago has lived and died by the three through four games this season.
In an upset win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 25, the Bulls were 21-of-47 (44.7 percent) from deep, and in last night’s win, set a franchise record by making 25 threes.
Chicago was 25-of-53 overall from beyond the arc. Zach LaVine and Coby White each had five triples, but six players knocked down at least two.
Over the course of his 12-plus seasons, Vucevic is a 34.3 percent shooter from deep on a career average of 2.5 attempts. His best season came in 2020-21 when he connected on 40 percent of his 6.3 triples between the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers.
Through four games this season, the 34-year-old is hitting 52.4 percent from three on 5.3 attempts per game.
It’s an incredibly small sample size, but if the Bulls’ starting center can become a legitimate stretch five with the way Donovan wants to spread the floor and fire up threes, Vucevic becomes a much more valuable player.
