Nikola Vucevic
No player has scratched the surface of his own stardom quite like Nikola Vucevic. For the last two years, he is the player the Magic seemingly pushed as its All-Star candidate, if only their record would cooperate and get him that attention.
Vucevic does a lot of things well and is one of the Magic’s most consistent players. But undoubtedly the focus tends to fall on what he cannot do. Because he is not the prototypical center.
Whereas in today’s NBA, centers seem to need to be able to protect the rim and have a lot of athleticism to guard both the perimeter and the paint, Vucevic lacks both those abilities. He remains a player who has difficulty in the paint and does not seem able to make much of a difference defensively.
Vucevic remains a great offensive player though. He is a strong mid-range jump shooter and a reliable offensive option. The Magic knew they could get him the ball, and he would find a way to score, as Sam Skubala wrote.
"On a team that often can struggle to score the ball efficiently, Vucevic once again showed himself to be a capable scorer, and one who can do so even with the pressure on. The 2016 season saw the center score two buzzer-beaters in remarkably similar fashion — turnaround fadeaway jumpers, first against the Los Angeles Lakers, and then again against the Atlanta Hawks. There were times when Vucevic also appeared to become adept as a distributor, averaging 3.5 assists per game for December, a month where Orlando went 10-5 as coach Scott Skiles won the Coach of the Month Award. Of particular importance was his ability to pass out of a double in the post, something which will prove valuable as his career continues."
Vucevic was still able to produce. That means something for sure. And so we gave him a ‘B-‘ for his season.
Vucevic though still has a lot to improve on. Or, perhaps, the Magic are beginning to wander some and look for other options.
Next: The bright future