Nikola Vucevic has been in the NBA for 13 years. The Swiss-Montenegrin center, who was twice named an All-Star during his time with the Orlando Magic, was unable to quite repeat that success with the Chicago Bulls. He joined the storied franchise in the middle of the 2020-21 season and has since averaged 18.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Those numbers are certainly notable on their own. But they pale in comparison to his All-Star seasons, in which the big man averaged 22.0 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. More importantly, Vucevic was able to take the Magic to the playoffs. In fact, Vucevic has had more postseason battles with Orlando (10) than with Chicago (5).

Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic ponders reason for franchise ending

With the Bulls trading DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso this offseason, it’s unlikely Chicago will be able to secure a playoff spot again this year. It’s not yet clear if the Bulls are better off without Zach LaVine, who they were unable to trade, but the veteran insists Lonzo Ball’s long absence was the main reason for their disappointing results.

“Since Lonzo Ball’s injury, we haven’t been able to get the results we could have. It’s messed us up a lot,” Vucevic told Milun Nesovic of Meridian Sports (h/t BasketNews).

“When he played, we were at the top of the East for a while, which may not have been a realistic result even though we played well, but with him we could have ended up fighting for anything between third and sixth place.

The rest of us are more focused on scoring: LaVine, DeRozan and myself. He brought us all together, paced the game, was very important on defense, defended the best players along with Caruso… Even though his numbers may not have been impressive, he meant a lot to us.”

Vucevic’s statement that Ball was the key to the Bulls’ success is nothing new. Although a different type of point guard reigns supreme these days, traditional playmakers have their value. For example, Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley is a key player for a championship contender.

Ball is cut from the same cloth. He isn’t too focused on scoring, although he has developed into a very reliable 3-point threat. Instead, he focuses on using his speed, game vision and passing ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. On the other hand, Ball is just as effective strangling ball handlers and jumping passing lanes.

Averaging 13.0 points, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the three-point line — as Ball did with the Bulls — may not be overly impressive. That said, those numbers probably wouldn’t put him in All-Star contention. Still, as Vucevic points out, his impact goes beyond the score.

In his own right, Ball is an X-factor. In Chicago, he was the glue. With him as the primary playmaker, the ball didn’t stay in the Stars’ hands for too long. As a quality defender at the point of attack, he helped mask their weaknesses.

The latest on Lonzo Ball

Ball appears ready to return to the field and is back playing 5-on-5 in informal situations, but expectations should be tempered. Although he is only 26 years old, he has not played in more than two seasons, so his mobility and endurance are questionable.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, his supposed successor – Josh Giddey, the No. 6 pick in 2021 – is neither the shooter nor the defender he was (and perhaps still is). However, this could be the chance Ball needs to reassert himself in Chicago’s rotation.