Nikola Vucevic hopes to be a stretch-5 that works the post

Nikola Vucevic is evolving his game and seems willing to take a step back to the 3-point line. But he will need to re-establish his post game to thrive.

The thought has always been there with Nikola Vucevic. There are simply so few centers with his shooting ability. In this day of analytics, the question was why he could not take that extra step back behind that blue line on the court.

It was the clear next evolution for the Orlando Magic’s big man. It was something he experimented with some in the 2017 season, especially having to play with another low-post player in Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo seemingly at all times last year. But it was never fully incorporated into his game.

That only added to the frustration when he struggled to hit from mid-range. Vucevic had one of his worst seasons in a Magic uniform last year.

The question was how does Vucevic expand his game, giving the Magic what they need to continue modernizing their offense, and regain what made him a near-All-Star in the past.

The promise of what he could be was shown in the Magic’s homestand during the preseason. The Magic would get out in transition and Vucevic would trail the play. He would stop at the top of the key and the 3-point line and fire away. With Elfrid Payton or Terrence Ross or Aaron Gordon attacking the paint, there is nothing a defense can do if Vucevic is there trailing.

At the end of last season, this was the kind of shot the Magic requested Vucevic work on. It was something Nikola Vucevic said president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman asked him to work on too. To modernize the Magic, Vucevic had to become a stretch-5.

But Vucevic said he did not want to become a pure shooter. He felt what hurt him as much as anything in 2017 was going away from his post-up game.

Orlando Magic

This is the balance Vucevic is looking to find as he tries to find his place in the Magic’s new style and system.

"“For me, it is just trying to find the balance and not standing out there and still rolling and making plays in the paint but at the same time stretching the floor,” Vucevic told Orlando Magic Daily after Thursday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks. “When I get looks like I did tonight, I’m open and it’s a good look, I’m going to take those. It’s just about me finding the balance. As I start making more of them and shooting more of them in games, I’ll get more comfortable.”"

Last year, Vucevic took 75 3-pointers, a shade less than 50 more than he had in his career to that point. He hit 30.7 percent of his 3-pointers. It was not a featured part of his game at all. But it was a promising development in his game. He brought it out on occasions and was reliable enough. A stray 3-pointer here and there was not going to hurt him.

If he could hit them more consistently, suddenly his pick-and-pop game becomes a lot more intriguing.

In the preseason this year, Vucevic is 3 for 7 from beyond the arc. It is not something he is doing a ton of — coach Frank Vogel said Vucevic was taking maybe one 3-pointer in every practice. It is just something the team wants to further explore.

Vucevic said he worked on his 3-point shooting throughout the summer before joining the Montenegro National Team for Eurobasket. Vucevic did not shoot too many 3-pointers there, working mostly in the post and mid-range. He also said he dropped some weight and tried to increase his agility to play in the Magic’s up-tempo style.

It is not hard to see Vucevic is a bit of a dinosaur as a low-post scorer without defensive athleticism. Vucevic might be a solid producer, scorer and rebounder, but he does not seem to do the things modern centers require.

Vucevic has to evolve. But he knows he also has to reinforce what was his bread and butter. Last year, his post numbers decreased dramatically. That was the big reason for his decrease in production. Vucevic said he knew he had to add this aspect to his game, but also he had to get back to the post too.

Vucevic said he knew he had to add this aspect to his game. But  he also had to get back to the post too.

"“I think I have always been kind of a stretch-5,” Vucevic told Orlando Magic Daily during training camp. “A guy who can play the 5 outside as well. I think last year as we played with two bigs, I think I was hanging out around a lot. This year in certain actions and certain plays, when coaches want me to be outside, I will do that and I will stretch the floor out and help the team out and stretch the court and give space to our guards. At the same time, I want to go back to being more effective in the paint. I think that is one of my best skills. I will try to do both. It depends on how the coaches want to play. I hope to be able to do both.”"

Those struggles hanging around the perimeter were evident throughout last season. Vucevic shot 46.8 percent from the floor overall, his lowest since his rookie year.

He took 5.1 field goal attempts per game in catch-and-shoot situations, according to NBA.com. He hit on just 40.3 percent of those shots. Vucevic took just 6.4 field goal attempts per game from within 10 feet.

In 2016, Vucevic took 5.0 field goal attempts per game in catch-and-shoot situations, making 48.0 percent and 8.5 field goal attempts per game within 10 feet. Clearly, Vucevic drifted away from the basket and became less efficient on mid-range shots. But the dramatic decrease in close field goal attempts was telling of how the Magic used him.

Worse still, in 2017, Vucevic struggled in the post.

He scored 0.80 points per possession on post-ups, according to NBA.com’s player tracking statistics on 3.7 possessions per game. In 2016, Vucevic scored 0.93 points per possession on 5.4 post-up possessions per game.

Vucevic was not elite on post-ups beforehand — 75.8th percentile in 2016 — but it was certainly a bigger part of his game. Vucevic is right to try to get back to that part of his game.

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The Magic have to find a balance with him to get the most out of him.

"“That’s the great thing about Nik is his versatility,” Vogel told Orlando Magic Daily. “He is not just one of those spread-5 3-point shooters who can only shoot threes. We can post him up and get him in the short roll game. The thing I love about him is he always makes the right play. He very seldom forces. Whether it is driving the basketball, catching that pocket pass or posting up, he is going to share and make the right play.”"

The Magic have spent a lot of time this preseason preparing to modernize their team. That has been a focus. That means hoisting 3-pointers and pushing the pace, using athleticism and versatility. For now, the Magic have to find a way to make Vucevic fit into that equation.

The easiest way is to put him beyond the arc and have him shoot 3-pointers. If Vucevic becomes a consistent 3-point threat, that would help the Magic’s offense dramatically.

Still, the best way to get the most out of Vucevic is to return an efficient use of him in the post. Orlando probably will not go back to an offense that features Vucevic heavily. He needs to be effective in the looks that he gets. And Orlando needs to give him a steady diet of post-ups in addition to pick and roll possessions.

Next: 5 preseason questions that remain for the Orlando Magic

Vucevic is going to try to have it all this year to find his fit with this team and its new identity. Like everyone else, he has a lot to prove this year as he tries to bounce back from last year’s frustrating season.