Nikola Vucevic is most definitely an All-Star
By Carson Ingle
While there are plenty of quality candidates, Nikola Vucevic should find himself playing in the 64th NBA All-Star Game February 15th
The Orlando Magic have been searching for an All-Star since Dwight Howard was jettisoned out of town after six straight appearances in the mid-season classic. Freshly minted with a new four-year, $53 million extension, Nikola Vucevic has thrown himself into All-Star consideration.
From my vantage point, Vucevic deserves to be in the game and will be selected when the Eastern Conference reserves are picked at the end of the month.
The 25-year-old center might as well be called old reliable after averaging 18.8 points and 11 rebounds per game so far this season. He also has the third highest efficiency rating of frontcourt players in the East next to LeBron James and Pau Gasol.
With apologies to Joakim Noah, Marcin Gortat and Jonas Valanciunas, Vucevic is the only true center that can be considered for a spot. Since the ballot has gone to the simpler definitions of “frontcourt” and “backcourt” players, that distinction has lost importance, but it is also just the tipping point of his candidacy.
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What we do know is voting for the starters ended Monday night and John Wall, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, James and Gasol are almost guaranteed to be the five the East trots out first on February 15. We also know that coaches who decide the remainder of the roster also like to reward success stories from the first half, particularly from successful teams.
That ensures that at least one representative from the Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and Chicago Bulls must be chosen since they occupy three of the top four spots in the East standings. Washington, the current number two seed, already has Wall voted in a starter under this scenario.
The easy picks for the Bulls and Raptors are respectively swingman Jimmy Butler and point guard Kyle Lowry. Neither Noah (7.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game) nor Valanciunas’ (12.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game) impact come close to Vucevic’s or even All-Star standards.
Chicago’s oft-injured leader Derrick Rose has yet to consistently return to form either, so that rules out a second selection from those teams.
That leaves the difficult decision of what to do to make sure the East’s best team gets fairly represented. The Hawks’ stunning success has been a result of being more unit than individual, which muddies the All-Star process quite a bit.
Still, there are easy calls to make when it comes to who should and who should not get in for the Hawks. Point guard Jeff Teague and forward Paul Millsap are the no-brainer picks while Al Horford and Kyle Korver do not quite make the cut, but remain in the running.
Teague has been a sensational floor general in a great era for NBA point guards. Piloting the East’s best team while leading the Hawks in scoring at a career-best 17.4 per game) seems to make up a slam-dunk case.
Millsap (16.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game) has been slightly better than Horford (15.2 points, 6.6 rebounds per game), though the latter’s return to prominence has been a compelling story. Despite playing on a much better team, neither has been better than Vucevic though, so one frontcourt All-Star is plenty for Atlanta.
If you are doing the math, nine of the 12 spots have been addressed. With his role re-emphasized in Miami, it would be hard to see Chris Bosh held back from making his 10th straight All-Star trip (yes that number shocked me too).
The coaches will also be unable to avoid naming a second Cleveland Cavalier to the squad after they were anointed a super team this summer. That will ensure Kyrie Irving gets picked.
With too many guards already on the team, Korver and Charlotte’s Kemba Walker get left on the cutting room floor. Indeed, Horford and Cleveland’s Kevin Love are Vucevic’s stiffest competition.
However, with Atlanta already taken care of, the coaches should acknowledge that Vucevic has been the better player. Love’s status as the new NBA pariah du jour will leave him lacking the support needed.
That leaves one final spot for Vucevic, who has been the picture of consistency even amid a chaotic Magic roster still trying to find itself. Orlando will finally have something to cheer about again on the All-Star stage, aside from the promise of young players in the Rising Stars Game on Friday night (which Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton are shoo-ins for).
Next: Making Nikola Vucevic an All Star is among the Magic's second half goals