Nikola Vucevic says Chicago Bulls are figuring out how to play without the injured DeMar DeRozan

The NBA is a star-driven league. The most successful teams often have the biggest superstars leading them. But the Chicago Bulls recently showed that's not always the case. With their leading scorer and crunchtime hero DeMar DeRozan sidelined with a quad injury, several Bulls players stepped up in his absence, including Nikola Vucevic, who dominated the Golden State Warriors in a 132-118 victory.

Learning curve

Losing a player who averages 26.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.9 assists caused legitimate concerns, and it took the Bulls a few games to figure out how to play without their star. Nikola Vucevic was a big part of that shift, anchoring the offense with his passing and his ability to stretch the floor. He scored 43 points and added 13 rebounds, four assists, and four steals against Golden State as Chicago built a double-digit lead in the fourth and never looked back.

“I think the first two games we played [without DeMar], it was an adjustment for everyone, and we got stagnant a lot of times,” Vucevic said.

With a usage rate of 28.3%, DeRozan was the engine that drove the Bulls’ offense. Deebo’s absence has forced his teammates to learn how to create more opportunities for themselves, and Vucevic is one of those players who has made the most of it.

Encouraging Trends

Though the Bulls have been playing without DeRozan for just three games, that stretch can feel like forever for a team that is trying to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Bulls played with desperation, and it didn't bode well for them.

“We were playing a little out of control in trying to figure it out without DeMar instead of kind of slowing the game down and playing within the strengths of whatever players are out there at that moment. It wasn’t a good showing offensively for us in the last two games. We didn’t really play to our strengths,” shared Vucevic.

However, with solid ball movement in their last game, more players were able to hit their stride as Zach LaVine put up 27 points, 14 of which came from the free-throw line. Coby White came off the bench and added 15. Alex Caruso also did a great job of defending Steph Curry, while contributing 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists of his own.

DeRozan is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday when the Bulls take on the Detroit Pistons in Paris, France.