By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Down to 29-36 and two games outside the Play In Zone of the Eastern Conference with three losses in the last four games, the Chicago Bulls will be tasked with overcoming the high-flying Western Conference leaders Denver Nuggets on the road Wednesday.
Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic matching up with Serbian Nikola Jokic at Ball Arena is likely to emerge as the next heavyweight battle of European stars directly influencing the outcome.
Vucevic, 32, chipping in the ongoing debate regarding the MVP of the 2022-23 NBA Regular Season fully endorsed the ongoing and arguably solid bid for three in a row for the Joker.
“I think he deserves to get another one, the way he’s playing. I think you take him out of that team, it’s not even close to the same team,” he suggested to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, “The things that he does, you look at his stats, the efficiency he’s playing at, it’s very impressive. And it’s not like he’s putting up numbers and they’re not winning.”
“He makes the right play. He doesn’t force. He doesn’t try to do something just to do it. It’s all within the flow of the game. It’s winning basketball,” added Vucevic.
The Montenegrin center enjoyed a win over Jokic only twice in ten NBA encounters. Of course, he is familiar with the casual approach of his upcoming opponent, widely understood across the NBA and the world of basketball as well.
“You can tell when he plays basketball, it’s just joy for him. It’s easy. It just comes natural to him. That’s what makes him so unique,” he commented, “He enjoys winning and playing for his teammates. So it’s fun to watch.”
“You could tell the natural talent he has, the natural feel for the game,” Vucevic furthered, “It’s just not something you teach. It’s something you’re born with and obviously he has gotten better at it as the years have gone on.”
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