Nikola Vucevic and the return of the Orlando Magic’s ‘safety valve’

Nikola Vucevic was back at practice Monday and could be nearing a return after a 12-game absence. It is a welcome one as the team tries to finish strong.

For the last 12 games, something has been clearly missing from the Orlando Magic. In the moments when things are seemingly getting out of control, that reliable player has not been there to staunch the bleeding.

This is one of the two things the Magic have focused on improving as the season comes to a close. It helps to have all your players available to do that. Including the most calming and consistent scoring option. The guy who still scores the majority of his points around the basket.

Without doubt, the Magic have missed Nikola Vucevic. And they appear close to getting him back on the floor and some other important players.

Both Nikola Vucevic and Victor Oladipo returned to practice Monday although their availability for Tuesday was not yet determined. It is a good sign as the Magic prepare for the final nine games of the season that they will be whole again.

“He’s our leading scorer and leading rebounder,” coach Scott Skiles said. “Any time you lose that kind of production from your lineup, you have to piece it together somehow from other areas. We’re coming off a game where we did it very well. Any team that loses that much production is going to struggle to replace it.”

Vucevic said it felt good to be back out on the floor after missing some time with a strained groin. He was doing some running and swimming to get back some conditioning. The practice was mostly shooting and defensive drills, not any contact work. It is still unclear if he will play Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets.

There are still some hurdles for Vucevic to clear. But his return will be a welcome sight.

It is not just that Vucevic averages 17.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. It is the reliability to get points in the paint and near the basket that no one else on the Magic can do consistently at a high level.

Vucevic is the Magic’s best player on post ups with 0.92 points per possession on post ups — they occur on nearly 30 percent of Vucevic’s possessions. He has perhaps the best balance between scoring in the paint and scoring off jumpers of any player on the team.

He creates spacing by demanding double teams in the post and stretching defenses with his jumper. That scoring balance is so important.

“I’m not having a lot of open shots right now mainly because he’s not inside drawing people,” Evan Fournier said. “Definitely Vuc is great for us. It’s definitely good for me to have Vuc on the floor.

“Of all the scorers we have, if I had to choose one guy to get us a bucket, I would go to Vuc. He’s always near the basket. He has great hands. He’s just so good around the basket. We justmiss a guys like that. He is basically the only guy who can get down low and get us easy baskets.”

It seems the Magic need that spacing on the floor. Injuries are a part of the game some can hit more.

Orlando won only three of the past 12 games without Vucevic. And the numbers speak for themselves with the defense taking a dive.

But players have stepped up too. They have not had a choice other than to do that. Fournier said player had to bring more energy and more focus offensively to make up for Vucevic’s loss of spacing. The Magic have been a solid offensive team the last 12 games minus some cold snaps that have ultimately cost them games.

Players like Dewayne Dedmon, Jason Smith and Andrew Nicholson have had to platoon in his minutes and try to recreate the production that has been lost. They have had their struggles, but also their successes in that time. Nicholson played well at Toronto with his season high. Dewayne Dedmon had his career high Saturday.

They have stepped up to the plate in many ways with the opportunity.

“We get paid to stay ready,” Skiles said. “It is the NBA. You hope guys are ready and they have been. We have been able to slide Devyn [Marble] in there [for Victor Oladipo] and he has done a nice job defensively. Andrew [Nicholson] has come in and been productive offensively and [Dewayne Dedmon] is coming off a big game. It’s to their credit they have stayed ready to play. We’ll see though. I’m not sure about Vuc, we’ll see how the minutes will shake out. Whatever he can do, it will be nice to have him back, that is for sure.”

No matter how well they have played though, they are still not what Vucevic can provide. That much has seemingly been made clear.

Vucevic is just that much more reliable as a scorer and stressor for the defense. He is a player who can get to the block and draw a double team in the post. Even if there are other players who can score in the post, there are not many guys in the post who can draw that double team and force the defense to rotate.

That is the biggest thing a player can do to stress a defense. Force a double on the move or on the catch. And Vucevic is one of the few guys who demands that attention even early in a game when he catches it in the post.

And he remains one of the few guys for the Magic who can make a play out of that double team.

“It feels good to know that your teammates believe in you and to come up when the team needs you the most,” Vucevic said. “You want to be that type of player that can come through for a team when a team needs it. Hopefully when I get back out there and the team needs me, I can do that for my team and do the things whatever it is — score, rebound, play defense — I just want to be there when my team needs me the most.”

Next: Orlando Magic truly miss Nikola Vucevic

With the Magic coming down the stretch run, they are hoping to pick up wins. And what the team needs most is clearly their starting center back in the lineup putting that stress and bringing that consistent effort each night.