By Josh Cohen
Sept. 10, 2016
There was talk earlier this summer about the possibility of Nikola Vucevic extending his range and adding a 3-point shot to his offensive arsenal.
While 3-point distance in FIBA is slightly shorter from the wings and top of the arc than the NBA (FIBA’s arc is basically 22 feet all the way around, NBA extends to 23.75 feet), Vucevic appears to be more comfortable taking deeper shots.
He made all three of his 3-point attempts in Montenegro’s crushing 99-62 win over Slovakia in Nitra on Saturday and he’s 5-for-9 from downtown in this EuroBasket Qualifying Tournament. In 20 minutes on the floor, Vucevic posted 17 points and five rebounds to help Montenegro (4-0) stay unbeaten.
Vucevic led the NBA in field goal percentage from 15 to 19 feet from the basket among players who attempted at least two shots from this range per game last season (50.3 percent). However, he took only nine 3-point attempts and shot 32.8 percent from 20-24 feet out.
Very few centers have adopted a reliable 3-point shot. But, those that have are taking advantage of it. DeMarcus Cousins and Al Horford, who prior to last season rarely attempted threes, combined to make 158 triples last season.
Vucevic is already widely considered one of the most gifted offensive big men in the world. He has outstanding footwork in the post, an incredibly soft touch with either hand and he’s superb in pick-and-pop situations.
Similar to what he showed with the Magic in 2015-16, Vucevic has been ultra-aggressive and poised during this European competition. He drilled a critical 3-pointer in Montenegro’s last win over Georgia and he’s been a quality playmaker and facilitator (10 assists so far).
Montenegro is looking to qualify for EuroBasket 2017 after failing to reach the 2015 event. It last played in this competition in 2013 when Vucevic was fresh off his second year in the NBA and first with the Magic.
Now, with Vucevic more experienced and the leader of this squad, Montenegro appears to be a rejuvenated and formidable team as it inches closer to a spot in next summer’s tournament. Montenegro returns home to play its final two qualifying games (Albania on Sept. 14 and Georgia on Sept. 17).
The seven first-place finishers from each group along with four second-place teams will advance. The nine European countries that competed in either the Olympics or Olympic Qualifying Tournament this summer (Spain, Serbia, France, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic) along with the four host nations (Romania, Finland, Israel, Turkey) are already locked in.