2018-19 Orlando Magic Player Evaluations: Nikola Vucevic
The Good and the Bad
| Season | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | eFG% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 80 | 31.4 | .518 | .364 | .549 | .789 | 2.8 | 9.2 | 12.0 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 20.8 |
| Career | 536 | 30.0 | .502 | .332 | .514 | .741 | 2.7 | 7.4 | 10.1 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 15.7 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/23/2019.
There is very little Nikola Vucevic did poorly. The Orlando Magic gave him the full keys to the offense and he thrived as the team operated working off his screens and passing throughout the season.
Vucevic set career highs in scoring average, rebounding average, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage. And his numbers in all those categories were pretty good throughout his career.
He even set a career high in assists, establishing himself among the elite passing big men with Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins.
The Magic have long used some of Vucevic’s skills but never really ran the offense through him like this. Vucevic relished the opportunity and stepped up to the plate in so many ways.
Orlando did a good job getting Vucevic the ball in a lot of areas where he can succeed. He worked effectively out of the high post to find cutters, using his jumper to keep the defense honest.
His pick and roll game was stellar as usual — 1.13 points per possession — and he was more selective with his 3-point shooting.
He returned to the post more often, seeing his post-up opportunities jump from 3.2 per game (0.74 points per possession) to 5.4 per game (0.93 points per possession).
Vucevic took efficient shots and made them consistently. He rarely had a bad night, recording just two games with 10 or fewer points.
Vucevic may not have been the guy to close games — he was actually pretty poor in clutch situations throughout the year — but he was consistent to get the Magic to the doorstep of a win.
And often Evan Fournier or Terrence Ross got the team through to that win.
Related Story. 2019 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Nikola Vucevic. light
More importantly, Vucevic’s defense took a huge leap. He had one of the best defensive box plus-minus ratings in the entire league (+3.4) and posted 4.7 defensive win shares. The Magic were better defensively as a team, but so was Vucevic.
He will never be a great rim protector but he was good at keeping players out of the lane and directing them toward help. The Magic’s defense recovered around him. He held his own defensively for much of the season, only slipping on a few occasions.
Of course, it is impossible to talk about Vucevic without discussing his poor performance during the playoffs.
As brilliant as he was in the regular season, he was non-existent in the playoffs, averaging 11.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He made just 36.2 percent of shots overall and 23.6 percent of his 3-pointers.
The Toronto Raptors made it a point rush and double Vucevic, forcing him to make quick decisions against a tough defense. Marc Gasol bullied him physically, knocking him off his spots. Vucevic could not win the one on one matchup and put pressure on the Raptors’ defense. And no one else was stepping up.
Fans had a lot of perceptions about Vucevic before then — he shied away from contact, his defense was less than stellar and he disappeared in big moments. All of those issues came to the front during the playoffs.
Vucevic got the team to the playoffs but did not take the team any further. Perhaps Orlando hit its ceiling with Vucevic. And all those thoughts about whether Vucevic could lead the team returned.