Nikola Vucevic on bouncing back from a sub-par season last year - "It was important for me personally to respond"

Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic isn't as big on stats as he is on winning. However, it was his personal goal to improve this season after last year's campaign, which he believes could have been better.

"This was an important year for me, not because of the contract but because I wanted to respond to having kind of an off season compared to my standards. I didn't think it was a bad season. But it wasn't up to my standards. It was important for me personally to respond," Vucevic said.

Double-double machine

Vucevic has made a career out of racking up double-doubles. In his 12-year career, the 32-year-old has averaged a double-double in nine seasons. Vucevic is currently third on the list for most double-doubles in the '22-'23 campaign with 41, just behind Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis and Denver's Nikola Jokic. Vucevic shared that it's never a goal of his to get a double-double each night, but it's a by-product of his tenacity on the glass.

"I don't focus on how many double-doubles I have. But I do want to make sure I do my job rebounding. With the pace of the game and the amount of shots in a game these days, I should be able to get 10 rebounds as a big man," Vucevic said. "I'm a very prideful player. I always want to try to do my part for the team. I'm very consistent with that."

Better shooting numbers

Vucevic's current numbers —17.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists—are similar to what he had last season. However, he considers last year's performance as subpar since he was still trying to figure out how to best play with high-usage wingmen DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.

"Last season, I felt I was up and down a little bit while trying to figure out my role. So it was very important for me to come back and have a strong season and play well. I think I've been able to do that."

Indeed, Vucevic has done that as he increased his field goal percentage to 51.2%. That clip was at 47.3% last year. He's also shooting it better from beyond the arc, making 35% of his three-pointers, which is also an improvement on the 31.4% from last year.