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Nikola Vucevic’s All-Star bid tied to Orlando Magic’s success

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 30: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic handles the ball against the Sacramento Kings on October 30, 2018 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. 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 Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 30: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic handles the ball against the Sacramento Kings on October 30, 2018 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. 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 Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Nikola Vucevic, Orlando magic, Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
Nikola Vucevic, Orlando magic, Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons /

Nikola Vucevic is squarely in the race to make the Eastern Conference’s All-Star player pool. But to make it, he will need the Orlando Magic to win.

NBA All-Star voting opened up Christmas Day and will run for the next few weeks as fans get their chance to send their favorite players to Charlotte for the big basketball festival in February.

The Orlando Magic, for the first time in a while, are still in the Playoff hunt and can legitimately talk about having a representative in the game for the first time since Dwight Howard in 2012 (when the game incidentally was in Orlando).

Orlando, in its official campaign for Nikola Vucevic, took a different tact to get him to Charlotte:

That is very much Nikola Vucevic’s humor and a good way to break through the clutter of All-Star campaigns. Every team will be pushing their best player to get votes.

Of course, there is the other little thing.

No one is going to sit here and believe the fans will vote Vucevic into the All-Star Game. Even if Orlando had one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference, they are not on TV nearly enough nor part of the national conversation to get everyone talking about Vucevic constantly.

Vucevic is still a tucked-away secret in NBA corner. Appreciation for him and his skills only pops out when the Magic are going through a hot streak. For sure, if they are playing well, it is likely because Vucevic is playing well.

Vucevic is averaging a career-best 20.2 points per game with 11.8 rebounds per game and 3.6 assists per game. He is fourth in the league among centers in assists per game. Vucevic has put together a lot of his offensive skills and made it a far more complete package.

Unlike years past, his defense has matched his offense for the most part. While Vucevic is not putting up gaudy block numbers, he has been solid containing drives and challenging forays to the rim, while recovering to the big man. He is lost in “no man’s land” in pick and rolls far less often and is able to recover well into the lane.

Orlando is a significantly better team with Vucevic on the floor — +1.8 net rating with him on the floor including a 106.0 defensive rating with him on the floor and a team-worst -14.1 net rating with him off the floor.

If the Magic are going to make a Playoff push, it is on Vucevic’s shoulders.

Whether Vucevic gets the nod from the coaches will surely rest on whether the Magic remain in the Playoff picture. Even then, it should be tight competition for one of the 15 spots on the roster.

With All-Star voting opening up this week, it is a good time to take stock of how those teams are shaping up and whether Vucevic truly has a chance of getting in.