USC Basketball: Former Trojans Center Ranked Among NBA’s Most Overrated Players

This is not an inaccurate appraisal.

Former two-time All-Pac-10 USC Trojans center Nikola Vucevic, currently with the Chicago Bulls, has been ranked by Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report as the fourth-most overrated player in the NBA over the past five seasons.

L.A. Clippers point guard James Harden topped the list, followed by Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons. While Harden has left three teams, Simmons has only exited one, yet Harden remains a fringe All-Star due to his scoring and passing skills. In contrast, Simmons has only played in 67 of 246 regular-season games in the last three years and struggles significantly with shooting.

Vucevic, a two-time All-Star during his time with the Orlando Magic, was traded to the Bulls for former lottery pick Wendell Carter Jr., small forward Otto Porter Jr., and two future lottery picks, which became Franz Wagner and Jett Howard. Bulls team president Arturas Karnisovas likely expected Vucevic to be a dominant double-double player, and while he did collect a lot of rebounds and pass well for his position, his occasional ball-stopping and weak defense didn’t justify giving up so much.

Hughes notes that Vucevic’s contributions have largely been inflated stats, especially with the Bulls, who have struggled to replicate the effective defensive scheme Orlando employed. He described Vucevic’s reliance on mid-range jumpers as detrimental and highlighted his poor defensive impact in three of the last five seasons.

Hughes suggests the Bulls should have anticipated Vucevic’s defensive issues, pointing out that their defensive rating dropped significantly when he was on the court during his last season with the Magic. He humorously added that the Bulls avoided making a financial mistake by not giving Vucevic a three-year, $ 60 million extension in summer 2023—oh wait, they did.

Once a reliable three-point shooter, the 33-year-old has experienced a significant decline in his outside shooting over the past three seasons, hitting just 32% on 4.3 attempts per game.

Last season, Vucevic remained relatively healthy, playing 76 games for a mediocre 39-43 Bulls team. He averaged 18.0 points with a shooting line of .484/.294/.822, along with 10.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.7 steals. While those numbers look decent in isolation, he was a hindrance on both ends of the floor, demanding more possessions than he earned while failing to defend effectively in the paint. His lack of athleticism also makes him a liability on the perimeter.