Orlando Magic fans certainly remain grateful for what Nikola Vucevic did for the franchise during his time in Central Florida. Those were arguably the best years of his career, and he was clearly playing at a higher level than what we're seeing right now.
When Vucevic was wearing the Magic uniform, he was consistently performing at an All-Star level. Particularly in his later years with the team. Vuc earned All-Star selections in two out of three seasons between 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Nowadays, I think the biggest criticism of Nikola's game as a whole is generally on the defensive side. Since joining the Chicago Bulls, it's clear that the biggest weakness in his game is in his deficiencies when it comes to protecting the rim and defending opposing big men on the interior.
Frankly, that was never a strong area for him, even when he was in Orlando. But it was never as bad with the Magic as it is right now. Bulls fans are constantly talking about when their team will simply bite the bullet and trade Vucevic.
Nikola Vucevic isn't as impactful now as he was in Orlando
Chicago's already not in a great place with their overall roster construction. But it certainly doesn't help that Vucevic has either stagnated or declined in the categories of lateral quickness and mobility, defending in pick-and-roll, and guarding quicker players.
Of course, it's always going to be very hard to improve in a weak area when you're as far into your career as he is. Nikola will turn 35 years old at the start of this coming season, meaning that wear and tear is continuing to be a factor.
It's also a matter of Vucevic's role changing with his age. In Orlando he was more of the centerpiece of the offense, now his usage and the shots he's taking are increasingly constrained. It shouldn't be surprising that this is leading to lower efficiency and fewer highlights.
Nikola isn't falling off the map just yet, he is still a productive player. But how much he's impacting winning seems to be the main question from critics. Between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons his counting stats were incredibly the exact same, as he averaged 17.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists in both years.
It's clear that there's some nuance here, as his decline has been more gradual than sharp, and part of it is due to a different supporting cast and system changes. But at the same time, Magic fans know this isn't the same guy they saw dominate for nearly a decade between 2012 and 2021.