Nikola Vucevic’s improvement is heavily reliant on his teammates, and with a more organized team he can begin to take the next steps in becoming a NBA All Star.
Nikola Vucevic has grown immensely in his time with the Orlando Magic, but it is tougher to say exactly how much better he can be.
Has Vucevic already reached his ceiling? Or is there a new level altogether for him to rise to?
Vucevic has his moments of pure dominance, both with the ball in his hands and in rebounding the basketball. He has increased his scoring average each season in Orlando after having been a minor contributor his rookie season in Philadelphia.
The main chip from the Dwight Howard deal has gone on to become a 19-point, 11-rebound per night player.
Further improvement relies on getting him the ball, simply.
Vucevic frequently became a victim of a lack of touches last season, despite attempting 16.3 field goal attempts per game. Given his 52.3 percent shooting, he needs to get a few more looks up still. Vucevic, if featured, could average a good bit more than 20 per game. It is tough to say how much more, because we do not see Vucevic just assert himself repeatedly.
Too frequently, he allows opposing bigs to push him off the block and further away from the basket. When he does catch it from 10 feet and in, he scores at an even higher frequency than his face-ups. It is the result of having soft touch and a nice ambidextrous element to his game that allows him to find crafty finishes in traffic.
Vucevic passes the eye test for an offensively dominant player, but he is only when he wants to be. We have already touched on the mental aspects of Vucevic’s game, and if he stays focused he can be an All Star this season. Focus is everything. Well, that and initiative.
Much like Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris, the skills are all there. Determining how to approach the game mentally at this point is what allows Vucevic to become the next level in NBA center hierarchy.
Next: Scoring and Shooting