By John Denton
Oct. 15, 2016
ORLANDO – Frank Vogel and Damjan Rudez are in their second NBA stint together and the head coach and the sweet-shooting forward have a standing deal that they stick by during games.
``The joke that we had in Indiana was (Vogel) saying, `As long as you make shots, you are going to be on the court. But whenever you miss one, you’re (coming) out,’’’ Rudez said with a laugh. ``It happened twice (on Friday night) and he did pull me out. It’s the deal that we have and I have to hold up my part.’’
The good news for Rudez is that he’s rarely missed a shot this preseason, especially when spotting up from the 3-point line. The big man’s accuracy has helped him earn playing time and potentially play his way onto the Orlando Magic’s regular-season roster.
In Orlando’s first three preseason games, the 6-foot-10, 228-pound Croatian made all five shots, including four connections from 3-point range. Then, Rudez took his game to another level entirely on Friday night, helping the Magic defeat the Indiana Pacers 114-106 at the Amway Center.
Not only did Rudez make his first three shots – two more of them being 3-pointers – but he gave the Magic five assists, three rebounds and a couple of other hustling, all-out plays to key a stirring 44-23 second quarter that turned the game around. Teaming with Jeff Green, Bismack Biyombo, C.J. Watson and C.J. Wilcox on Orlando’s second unit, Rudez saw how the group’s unselfishness and hustle livened up a sleepy Amway Center crowd and sparked the Magic to their first victory of the exhibition season.
``(The second quarter) was excellent and I think it was a great display of basketball,’’ said Rudez, who finished with 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and three 3-pointers. ``The fans clearly enjoyed it and we showed a glimpse of what we want to look like this year. The fast pace, everybody sharing the ball, helping on defense – I think our hard work we put in training camp is starting to pay off and I’m glad the fans got to see a little bit of it.’’
The Magic (1-3) have been seeing Rudez’s heady play and dead-eye shooting for weeks in pick-up games, training camp practices and exhibition games. Thus far, he has made nine of 11 shots (81.8 percent) of his shots and seven of nine 3-pointers (77.8 percent). Additionally, he’s averaged 6.3 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 14 minutes a night.
In short, the 30-year-old Rudez has looked like the seasoned veteran that he is after having played professionally in Croatia, Slovenia, Belgium and Spain and in the NBA with the Pacers, Timberwolves and now Magic. Vogel, who coached Rudez in the 2014-15 season with the Pacers, knew the Magic were getting a versatile player who is known for making the right plays.
``Maybe our highest IQ player on the team,’’ said Vogel, whose Magic (1-3) host the Atlanta Hawks (2-2) on Sunday at 6 p.m. ``He just really has a great feel for the game. He’s a knock-down shooter, so there’s a reason that he’s here. He has had a great camp for us.’’
Rudez has quickly become a favorite among his Magic teammates because of his willingness to make the extra pass to open men – as he did twice on Friday night with high/low entry passes that led to dunks for Serge Ibaka and Biyombo. Also, Rudez has opened eyes with his defensive grit, his court vision and his willingness to sprint back to fill lanes on the fastbreak.
``He looked like Steve Nash out there with all of his passes,’’ Magic center Nikola Vucevic joked. ``He’s been great since the beginning of practice and even in camp he’s been shooting the hell out of the ball. He’s a good player and really knows how to play. He’s our only player less athletic than me, but he knows how to play and knows the game. He does his work every day and it shows.’’
Added point guard Elfrid Payton: ``Rudez has been killing it. All training camp he’s been knocking down shots and then he gets out here (in games) and he’s knocking down shots and showing you everything. He’s banging (Indiana’s) LaVoy Allen, he’s getting rebounds and he’s passing the ball. He’s just another guy who knows how to play, knows his role and really competes.’’
None of that is surprising to Magic guard Mario Hezonja, a fellow Croatian who has known Rudez since he was 15 years old. The two have played on the Croatian National Team for years and Hezonja was well aware of what his countryman was capable of long before the start of training camp in Orlando.
``I told (the media) when everybody was trying to ask, `Who is he?’ He can really shoot the ball,’’ said Hezonja, a second-year NBA player. ``I’m not impressed with how he shoots because I’ve seen this from him every day in Croatia and I know what he’s capable of doing.’’
If Rudez’s name is faintly familiar to Magic fans it’s because he has a history with making 3-point shots at the Amway Center. On Jan. 25, 2015, the Magic took a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter against a Pacers team then led by Vogel. The coach turned to Rudez, who made four 3-pointers and had 16 of his career-high 18 points in the fourth quarter of a 106-99 Indiana win.
``That was a good night and I actually remember it like it was yesterday,’’ Rudez said recently. ``That was a turning point in our season because we had lost seven straight before that. I remember Coach (Vogel) keeping me on the court and having faith in me. That fourth quarter was significant for both me and the team.’’
Rudez’s high IQ extends well beyond basketball as he is a lover of languages. In Croatia, he was influenced heavily by American pop culture, music and movies at a young age and learned to speak English by the time he was in the first grade. His favorite TV shows might not be the ones an American would expect from someone growing up in Zagreb, Croatia.
``All the most famous ones – Seinfeld, Friends, Fresh Prince of Bel Air and, of course, American pop music and rock music,’’ he said is perfect English without even a hint of an accent. ``Little by little, you pick (English) up. … I’m very happy that I speak several languages because languages are sort of a secret passion of mine. I speak three fluently (English, Spanish and Croatian) and I can get around in a few more, but I wouldn’t dare to brag about it in case someone asked me a question and I was caught off guard. I definitely want to learn French and Russian.’’
These days, Rudez is speaking the language that the Magic want to hear with his sweet shooting, his willingness to pass the ball and his team-first mentality. Whatever it takes, Rudez stressed, to make the Magic and be a piece that can be counted on by Vogel.
And he wants to keep making shots so that the coach has no reason to pull him out of games. He loved hearing that Vogel admires his high basketball IQ and he loves the fact that he’s already built a trust with his teammates and his coach.
``That’s a huge compliment coming from him,’’ Rudez said of Vogel. ``Of course I played for Coach Frank one year in Indiana and he knows what I can do. He used me a lot on the court. I’m just trying to make good plays and good reads and I think passing is very contagious. I’m trying to have good decision-making and I feel (Vogel’s) confidence in me. It’s always easier to play when your coach is trusting in you.’’
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