Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

2019 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Nikola Vucevic

By Joe Buckley

Milwaukee, WI - APRIL 9: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic shoots the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 9, 2018 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
Milwaukee, WI - APRIL 9: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic shoots the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 9, 2018 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic, Ersan Ilyasova, Atlanta Hawks
ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 9: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic blocks a shot against the Atlanta Hawks on December 9, 2017 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

What Could Go Wrong

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Orlando Magic fans know what they are going to get from Nikola Vucevic. This is both comforting for the production they know they will get and horrifying for what they know he is lacking.

Vucevic has seen a pretty undeniable shrinking to his role in the last few years. The Magic have tried to shuffle in players that would seemingly replace him. No one has been able to take that spot. But the signal is pretty clear.

Vucevic has seen his usage go down. The team has shifted its offense away from Nikola Vucevic toward Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon.The team largely will get and expect the same kind of production from Vucevic of the last few years.

But his offense does not always cover up the overall defensive deficiencies he displays.

Last year, Vucevic gave up 65.9 percent shooting at the rim according to NBA.com’s player tracking statistics. That was even worse than Marreese Speights. When Vucevic is off defensively, he is off. And it affects everything.

Really, even if Vucevic is playing defense at his best, he is not someone that inspires fear. Players will drive and attack and test him.

That puts pressure on Vucevic to be elite offensively. To his credit, Vucevic has grown his offensive game a lot over the years. He has improved his jumper and stretched it out to the 3-point line. Coach Steve Clifford feels comfortable playing five-out essentially because of Nikola Vucevic’s shooting. The thought of playing Mohamed Bamba and Nikola Vucevic together (as foolish as it sounds) would not be possible without this range.

The question is how much can the Magic trust Vucevic to shoot from beyond the arc? And then whether Vucevic can get to a higher level with that alone. It does not feel that way.

So Vucevic remains a bit of a limited player. He is someone who can accumulate counting stats anbd provide a steady go-to offensive option for the Magic. But one who still puts a cap on the team thanks to his defensive limitations.