Nikola Vucevic becomes a primary offensive option
Nikola Vucevic will get paid like a franchise cornerstone and is slowly becoming a primary option for the Magic on offense.
There are no shortage of people singing Nikola Vucevic’s praise this season.
Even with his big contract in tow, Vucevic has continued to put in solid numbers for the Magic, becoming on of their more consistent players and a rock in the low post. His turnovers are up because of his higher usage rate and the added attention to him from defenses, but there is no denying he has made an impact for this team in a very positive way.
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And everyone seems to be taking notice.
CBS Sports’ Total Player Ranking system have Nikola Vucevic as the best center in the league. That might be going a little far, but maybe not too far.
Vucevic is averaging 19.9 points per game and 11.4 rebounds per game. He is among the top-five rebounders in the league once again and is thriving with the ball in his hands. His PER is at 22.3 so far this year, a huge bump-up from his first two years in Orlando.
Doc Rivers went so far as to say Vucevic is the best player no one has ever heard of. He believes Vucevic can be an All Star this year. And who is to say he cannot. As Jonathan Wolfstein wrote for us yesterday, Vucevic compares pretty favorably so far with surefire All Stars DeMarcus Cousins, Chris Bosh and Kevin Love.
The All-Star recognition Vucevic nearly gained was not a fluky thing. Statistically, at least on offense, Vucevic earned that consideration.
“Coming from a coach like Doc Rivers, one of the best coaches in this league, it means a lot,” Vucevic said. “It means my work has been recognized, the way I have been playing has been recognized. I know I have a long way to go before I get to the level I want to be at. Those comments mean a lot, and it’s extra motivation for me to keep working.”
Certainly teams are beginning to learn who Vucevic is. The Magic are going to him more and more — his usage rate has climbed to 26.1 percent this year entering Sunday’s game against the Hornets.
That would lead to more points being scored but also a whole lot more turnovers. Vucevic has a 10.4 turnover rate. That number has gone down considerably from earlier in the season. Defenses are keying in on him more and more and Vucevic has had to learn how to deal with them. He has had as much success as he has had failures at this point of the season.
Vucevic’s offensive game has expanded some too. His jumper has come along and he is feeling more comfortable with a more varied offensive attack.
“Just being more confident in my game, being more aggressive,” Vucevic said. “I know all the work that I have put in and especially this summer. I worked out a lot. I really put the work in and the time in. I know if I did that I can make those shots and I can make those moves. It’s just me doing those, believing more in myself.”
Vucevic is shooting 147 for 305 (48.2 percent) on shots between 10 and 20 feet. He has taken 876 total shots, meaning 34.8 percent of his shots have come from 10-20 feet. Last year, Vucevic shot 102 for 229 (44.5 percent) from that range, taking 32.9 percent of his shots from mid-range.
It has become clear that Vucevic has a very unique game. He is able to read defenses and will often roll or popl to a mid-post position for a short 10-foot jumper as defenders ink to protect the basket. He can also pop out to the free throw line area and drain that jumper. It gives the defense a difficult split-second decision to make and make Vucevic all the more difficult to cover.
And if he gets things going, even good defenders know he can be tough to stop.
“He is a load, man,” Miami’s Chris Bosh said when the Heat came to Orlando back in December. “He is super skilled, and he can use his left or his right hand. His ability to handle the ball, his timing on the boards, he never brings it down low. He is a very talented guy, esepcially on the boards. He is one of the best rebounders in the league.”
The accolades continued from guys like Pacers coach Frank Vogel who said his mix of that pick and pop game has added a new dimension to his game, stretching centers far out of the paint. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who teams have been a victim to some of Vucevic’s best individual games the last three years, added that you can no longer call Vucevic a “good, young player anymore. He’s a very good NBA basketball player.”
It remains hard to argue with that statement.
Vucevic continues to develop and improve offensively and defensively. He is putting up some strong numbers, but lacks recognition as a member of the elite — the Magic’s record does not help very much.
Orlando has had to count on him night-in and night-out. Vucevic is improving his consistency too — an important step for him. It is something he will have to continue to do.
The Magic have tied their future to the big man. And the whole team has to believe in him.
“I say he is the best big man in the league,” Victor Oladipo said. “I don’t tell him that to stroke him. I tell him that to motivate him.
“A couple times, we’re trying to get back into the game, we just throw it in there and he will get a bucket for us. That’s huge for us. When we haven’t gotten great looks and we are kind of in a slump, we know we can throw it in there and the big fella will get a bucket.”