Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 4: Coaching questions
@OMagicDaily Whos a better C, Hortford or Vucevic.
— Sergio S. 🏀⚽ 🇳🇮🇺🇲 (@bw_ignite) December 14, 2014
OK, so this is a redirect of the All-Star question. We know by now that Al Horford got the All-Star nod over Nikola Vucevic. And it was deserved.
Sure the raw numbers do not tell you that — Horford is at 15.5 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game through Feb. 9 while Vucevic is at 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Horford has a 21.6 PER and Vucevic is at 22.1. So these are two relatively comparable players.
So who is better?
Horford has had his injury issues throughout his career, but I would have to say Horford is the better player overall.
Vucevic might have a more refined post game, but Horford is no push over either on that end. He is a solid post player with good range on his shot. The two are comparable.
What is different though is the defensive end. Horford’s raw rebounding numbers are not as good as Vucevic’s but he posts a solid 20.2 percent defensive rebound percentage this year. And on the defensive end, Horford posts significantly better numbers.
Al Horford
| Season | PER | ORB% | DRB% | TRB% | BLK% | OWS | DWS | WS | WS/48 | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 19.8 | 8.2 | 23.0 | 15.7 | 2.2 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 8.8 | .153 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.5 | ||
| 2013-14 | 22.0 | 8.0 | 21.4 | 14.8 | 3.6 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 2.8 | .141 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 1.1 | ||
| 2014-15 ★ | 21.6 | 6.6 | 20.2 | 13.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 6.2 | .189 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 2.4 | ||
| Career | 19.0 | 8.7 | 23.2 | 16.0 | 2.6 | 29.7 | 22.5 | 52.2 | .157 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 19.3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/10/2015.
Nikola Vucevic
| Season | Tm | G | PER | ORB% | DRB% | TRB% | BLK% | OWS | DWS | WS | WS/48 | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | ORL | 77 | 17.8 | 12.0 | 28.4 | 20.2 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 5.7 | .106 | -0.9 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 1.6 | ||
| 2013-14 | ORL | 57 | 18.8 | 11.5 | 27.6 | 19.5 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 4.4 | .116 | -1.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | ||
| 2014-15 | ORL | 49 | 22.1 | 10.5 | 27.2 | 18.7 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 5.1 | .145 | 0.9 | -0.2 | 0.7 | 1.2 | ||
| Career | 234 | 18.7 | 11.5 | 27.1 | 19.3 | 2.2 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 17.0 | .119 | -0.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 3.9 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/10/2015.
The defensive numbers are partly from the teams they are playing for. But Vucevic’s defensive numbers do not impress in any way. And, it would seem, Vucevic’s defensive numbers are getting a little bit worse.
Defense is what is going to hold Vucevic back. There just is no getting around it right now.
Next: Better trade: Rafer Alston or Nikola Vucevic?