Can the Magic re-discover Nikola Vucevic?
At this point, it is fairly clear Nikola Vucevic will not be an All-Star this year. The emergence of Bam Adebayo and Domantas Sabonis with teams ahead of the Orlando Magic in the standings seems to have squeezed Nikola Vucevic out of his spot.
In any case, Vucevic has not matched last year’s run statistically. His numbers have regressed a bit, averaging 18.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Those are not bad, they are in line with the high-level seasons he had before his All-Star breakthrough last year. But they are not what the Magic had last year.
What the Magic got from Vucevic last year was a level of consistency they could rely on every game. Orlando turned to Vucevic for scoring, but more than that, the team just knew it could count on him for solid shooting and about 20 and 13 each game.
Vucevic has gotten to that level at various points this year but not every game. He has had games where he has struggled to shoot and buried the team. The base for the Magic to grow from has not always been there.
Some of that has had to do with how the Magic have used Vucevic. He is shooting a career-high 4.6 3-point field goal attempts per game. His posts-ups are down by nearly 1.5 per game.
Coach Steve Clifford often says he has to do a better job of getting Nikola Vucevic the ball in better spots. He often says it is easy to take Vucevic for granted because he works so well off of others.
That does not diminish his importance. And so the Magic have to find a way to keep him involved. The team is significantly better with him on the floor than off. No one on the team has the varied offensive skills Vucevic possesses.
It is not just Clifford however.
Defenses are definitely crowding and playing Vucevic more physically, taking a cue from the playoff series last year. This has caused Vucevic at various times to rush his shots. He is scoring less efficiently in the post this year compared to last — he was at 0.93 points per possession last year and is at 0.71 points per possession this year.
And, obviously, his jumper is not as precise either. He is shooting more 3-pointers than before and that has depressed his scoring average some too.
Vucevic may not be the guy that takes the team over the top. But he is necessary to keep the offense stable. The Magic need to find ways to get him quality post-ups. But at the end of the day, the Magic need Vucevic to hit his shots. That is the biggest thing the has missed this season.