Bulls coach Billy Donovan defends big man Nikola Vucevic from critics

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s that time of the season.

The finger-pointing is at an all-time high, the blame game is in full swing and the target is usually Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic.

While his shooting has been suspect this season, especially from three-point range, Bulls coach Billy Donovan insisted Sunday that there has been no drop-off in Vucevic’s skills and that his work ethic is still elite.

“He’s a consummate professional, he’s incredibly reliable, he’s durable, he’s available, which is the most important thing,” Donovan said. “I know he’s a much, much better shooter than he has shown this year. I really believe that.

“I think as you go back through his career and you look at it, he’s had some years that may be a little bit down that might not be as consistent to where he’s been shooting the ball, but, no, he can obviously play from the post, he can play inside the pocket, he can stretch the floor, keeps the ball alive, good reversal guy, all those kinds of things. From my perspective, it’s not a skill issue at all.”

The Bulls had better hope it’s not.

They signed Vucevic, 33, to a three-year extension during the summer, and he made $18.5 million this season. It goes up to $20 million next season, then to $21.4 million in the last year of the deal.

If he’s on his way to a steady decline — like his critics love to point out — that could be a lot of dead money already joining dead money.

Donovan definitely wasn’t concerned about Vucevic’s work ethic taking a dip. That’s just not his makeup.

“That’s the thing that’s amazing, like, fly in [Saturday], we had the gym available for some of the guys that didn’t play [Friday], and [Vucevic is] over there working,” Donovan said. “He’s in the weight room. We get into hotels, and I get my bag, throw some shorts on, go down to the weight room to work out when we arrive, and he’s in there. He’s on the bike, he’s lifting.

“He does a really good job of taking care of himself, and I have a lot of respect for him from that standpoint because he gets himself up every day to do that. You can rest assured that every day, he’s going to be that first guy in there.”

As for Vucevic, he has been giving the same answer to his social-media critics for two years.

“Out of the three of us [Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine], I’m the one that has sacrificed the most from an individual [standpoint],” Vucevic said earlier this season. “That’s why I feel like the people that have been critical of me really don’t understand how basketball works, what it takes for us to function as a group.

“It’s OK, not everyone is going to like you.’’

Campaign trail

The Bulls released a hype video promoting guard Coby White for most improved player Sunday, and even though his numbers have dipped in the last month, Donovan obviously was backing his guy.

“He warrants every bit being mentioned in the mix with those guys,” Donovan said. “I don’t think there’s any question. If you look at what he’s done up to this point, he’s definitely warranted being in consideration because he’s made some significant strides.”