Chicago Bulls have two league-leading stars over past monthRyan Heckmanon February 16, 2022 at 2:33 pm

Why is this date so significant? Since January 15, Zach LaVine has played in only half the Bulls’ games (nine of 18) mostly due to additional soreness in his knee. With LaVine out, the Bulls have been severely undermanned.

The Bulls have also been without Lonzo Ball since — wait for it — January 15. The team has also been down Alex Caruso for a similar amount of time, along with Derrick Jones Jr. — who finally just returned — and Patrick Williams, for most of the season.

Of course, the Bulls also missed Javonte Green for an extended period of time, too.

Since January 15, the Chicago Bulls have two NBA-leading stars on their roster, keeping them in every single game.

During this stretch, there have been two players who have stepped up in a monumental way: DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.

DeRozan leads the league in points since January 15, while Vucevic leads the league in rebounds.

What a world we’re living in, folks. Not only are the Bulls tied for first place deep into the season, but they’re doing it without a meaningful chunk of their roster and these two guys are playing some inspired basketball.

Say what you want about Vucevic, and some of his bad games being extraordinarily bad, but without him, the Bulls aren’t where they’re at. Vucevic may have some bad offensive nights, but his rebounding and defense in the paint shouldn’t go overlooked.

Then, there’s DeRozan, who is on another planet this season. He’s having a season that no Bull has had since the likes of Michael Jordan. In fact, DeRozan very well could break an NBA record held by the great Wilt Chamberlain.