Nikola Vucevic’s future in doubt, but Orlando Magic still need his present

Eventually, Mohamed Bamba will take over as the starting center. Until then, the Orlando Magic need Nikola Vucevic and his consistent, solid production.

It is easy to look ahead to the future. That is all Orlando Magic fans have to look forward to it seems. The present has been so uncertain for six years and the players the team truly cares about remain players who need time to develop.

The two most important players on the roster are the two players president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman drafted the last two picks. He has developed a type for sure — even through is and general manager John Hammond’s draft history.

The season’s success or failure falls on wins and losses. But more so it falls on how far Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba can continue to develop.

There will be plenty of eager watching to see how the Magic manage their minutes. When it comes to Bamba, Magic fans drool over his length and his defensive potential. That kind of rim protection and defensive intimidation is something the team has not had since Dwight Howard left.

But fans will have to wait. Bamba’s development will require patience. And that is why Nikola Vucevic remains an important part of this team. It is probably why the team did not simply trade Vucevic and clear the path for Bamba to take the starting spot from day one.

For all his flaws and all his struggles as the center for the Magic in the wake of that Howard trade, Vucevic is still a productive player who has improved his game in important ways every year.

He is not the future for this team. His contract expires at the end of the season and the team will likely heavily pursue a trade for him at the trade deadline to get some value in return.

But until that time, Vucevic should remain the team’s center.

Last year was another up-and-down year for Vucevic. But before a hand injury in December, Vucevic was playing some of the best basketball of his career.

He was averaging 17.4 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game. Vucevic hit on 49.1 percent of his shots and 34.3 percent of his 3-pointers. The green light he got to take 3-pointers expanded his game and changed the Magic’s offense.

It tailed off as the season went on and his injury disrupted his rhythm. But Vucevic became a huge offensive weapon.

On top of that, Vucevic established himself quietly as one of the best passing big men in the league. He averaged 3.3 assists per game before his injury and recorded his first triple-double of his career against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 9.

Among centers, Vucevic’s 3.4 assists per game for the entire season was the fifth most in the league according to NBA.com. The Magic could easily run their offense through Vucevic and get a good shot or trust he would find the right player.

Maybe that is not the most efficient thing to do. Vucevic still has his share of post ups. And he tends to hover around the perimeter too much making him more effective in pick and rolls rather than Princeton or cutting sets. But it is something Vucevic was capable of doing.

The problem with Vucevic has always been his defense. He is not overly mobile or athletic to protect the rim. He struggles a lot on pick and rolls and that remained a fact last year too.

According to NBA.com’s database, opponents shot 4.2 percentage points better than the total field goal percentage while he was on the floor. He gave up 65.9 percent shooting at the rim, one of the worst marks of his time with the Magic.

Even before the injury, Vucevic was struggling defensively. He gave up 63.8 percent shooting at the rim.

It is very true — as Vucevic noted in a recent podcast appearance with the 4 SZNS Podcast — he has improved his offensive game every year and added a new dimension. It is easy to expect Vucevic to enter the season with a more consistent 3-point shot. But his position requires defensive versatility and athleticism to succeed.

Something Vucevic will never have.

This is why it is clear Vucevic’s days in Orlando are numbered — unless he accepts a reserve role. Orlando would not have spent the sixth pick on Bamba if the team did not see him as the future starter.

Bamba’s length is impressive and his future as a shot blocker and defensive presence in the paint for the team is part of the promise he has. But his immediate impact is not clear.

Bamba was good in Summer League. But his 8.7 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game do not exactly spell immediate impact. Neither does the fact he averaged just 19.7 minutes per game.

His defense and shot blocking were very good — 2.30 blocks per game. And he and Jonathan Isaac worked well together to create a defensive force that seemed unfair for the Summer League competition.

But it was also clear Bamba has a long way to go.

His pick and roll defense and mobility still needed some work. He needs a better understanding of his role within the team’s defensive schemes. And he obviously needs to put on more muscle.

This was all expected. Bamba is not a ready-made prospect. The team should expect he could make an impact in limited minutes immediately. But he is not likely going to be someone to throw into the deep end immediately.

How Orlando treated him in Summer League with relatively limited minutes suggests the team will bring him along slowly. They are not going to throw him into the fire immediately but manage his workload. Unless he blows the team away, it does not seem likely he will be the opening day starter.

To be sure, Bamba is the team’s future. There is no escaping this inevitability. But he is not the present.

The present, at least until Bamba is ready, still belongs to Vucevic. If the Magic are hoping to maximize their talent and bring Bamba along slowly, Vucevic is still the team’s best option.

Orlando Magic

And that will benefit Bamba in the long run too.

Like Bamba, Vucevic has a solid outside stroke. There will be a lot of tricks and reads Vucevic can teach Bamba. He can learn a lot from watching the veteran player.

Vucevic will produce a whole lot more raw statistics than Bamba. And until the team is really out of the Playoff race, Vucevic will be the Magic’s best bet to compete.

Then again, maybe that result is inevitable. Six years with Vucevic at center has yielded the same outcome. Vucevic has become the scapegoat for that time — rightly or wrongly.

In that same token, Vucevic is not going to cede his starting spot to a rookie. He is going to fight to keep his spot. It is a contract year after all.

And even with the big-money Bismack Biyombo off the roster, there is still the defensive-minded Khem Birch fighting for his spot too. If the Magic want to emphasize defense and length from the position, Khem Birch may be the better option. Even if he does not have Vucevic’s overall skills.

On balance, though, Vucevic remains the best center on the roster. How long that lasts is unclear. The Magic seem set to let Bamba develop slowly. Even with productive rookies, Steve Clifford is known not to trust rookies fully. They develop in limited minutes under him.

It is unclear if that will stop Bamba’s ascendance to the starting role at some point during his rookie year. That will largely depend on how quickly Bamba can grasp Clifford’s defensive schemes and produce on the floor.

Until then, Vucevic remains a solid, consistent option at center. Someone the team can rely on for production and give them the best chance to win. Not only that, he can help give Bamba the room to develop and grow the way the Magic want.

All so that he can take over when he is ready.