ORLANDO – The day that Nikola Vucevic re-signed with the Orlando Magic back in July, guaranteeing that he will continue being the franchise’s longest tenured-player, the 7-foot center said something very revealing about his future as an all-star center.
In not so many words, Vucevic stressed that last season’s career year was basically just the start of what is to come from him in the years ahead and not some fluke-ish blip that will never be witnessed again. Vucevic, who is a little more than a week away from turning 29 years old, stressed that the lucrative and long-term contract that he signed is an investment that the Magic made in his future and not some lifetime achievement award given for riding out the tough years as the franchise went through six seasons of rebuilding.
Now, after joining Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard as the only players in Magic history to average at least 20 points and 12 rebounds over a season, Vucevic feels that he’s just starting to hit his prime as a difference-making center for Orlando.
``The way I see the game now, it comes to me easier than ever now,’’ said Vucevic, whose Magic (3-2) host the rival Miami Heat (3-0) in the finale of the exhibition season on Thursday (7 p.m., TV: Fox Sports Florida). ``I think as a big man, sometimes it takes more years to get to that peak performance and I think I am finally getting there.
``There were a lot of factors in my success last year. Having Coach (Steve) Clifford and the way we were able to play as a team had a role in me having success,’’ Vucevic added. ``But the experience that I have now, it helps me to be a better player. And the success that I had last year just motivates me to go and play even better now.’’
That has to be just what the Magic want to hear considering that their big man is coming off a season in which he averaged career highs in scoring (20.8), rebounding (12), assists (3.8), blocked shots (1.1), 3-point makes (84) and free throw makes (179). All of that work, which included 60 double-doubles and an Eastern Conference Player of the Week award, landed him in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in his career and it helped propel the Magic to the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
Clifford, who coached previously in Charlotte prior to taking over in Orlando, always considered the multi-dimensional Vucevic to be a matchup nightmare when his teams faced the Magic big man. Even before last season began, Clifford made the decision that the Magic would, in essence, play through Vucevic to take advantage of his rare combination of range shooting, passing and reliable decision-making. Ultimately, Vucevic made that move look genius by authoring the best season of his eight-year NBA career.
``To me, along with (Denver’s Nikola) Jokic – there are other guys who are super skilled – but the range shooting and passing is … (elite),’’ Clifford raved. ``His decision-making with passing, he’s like a guard. To me, that’s why he was an all-star. And he plays in a way to where your team is going to function well when he’s out there because he makes the right play and he plays for his teammates.’’
Added teammate and close friend Terrence Ross, who like Vucevic is expected to play on Thursday night after missing time because of a mild ankle sprain: ``I definitely put him as an elite big in this league as an all-star. Vooch can do a lot of things because he’s really well-rounded for a big guy – he can put the ball on the deck, pass, make great decisions, shoot from range and (use his) left and right hands. He’s the total package. And it’s hard for a lot of other big guys to cover him.’’
As it has so often in the past, Vucevic’s ability to make the Magic better became clearly evident again this preseason when he sat out of two games because of an ankle sprain he suffered last week in Detroit while battling Andre Drummond for a rebound. With Vucevic out of action, the Magic’s offensive execution in the half-court mostly ground to a halt and the turnovers piled up in one-sided, unsightly losses to the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Instances like those show just how valuable Vucevic is to the Magic and what an elite-level player he is, Ross raved. Ross, who like Vucevic put up career-best numbers last season and re-signed with Orlando back in July, sees no reason why Vucevic can’t follow up his 2018-19 performance with just as good of one in 2019-20. After all, Ross added, Vucevic’s future was firmed up this summer by resolving his contract issue with the Magic and now his entire focus is on helping the franchise go significantly deeper in the playoffs.
``It’s the next step of our careers and legacies and he’s definitely approaching (the future) in a way that was a little different for him in the past,’’ raved Ross, who like Vucevic is expected to play on Thursday night after missing time because of a mild ankle sprain. ``He knows now what’s at stake and what we’re playing for. We don’t have anything else to think about now (after re-signing with the Magic) but to think about the direction of our franchise and our team. So, he’s in a great place.’’
Vucevic was never happier than the place he was in last season in Orlando. After playing on young, rebuilding teams that frustratingly won just 20, 23, 25, 35, 29 and 25 games the previous six seasons, the Magic were finally able to break through last season and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2012. As it turns out 2018-19 proved to be a banner year for Vucevic as his first child, son Filip, was born on Dec. 17; he played in his first NBA All-Star Game in February, proudly representing a Magic franchise that believed in him by trading for him back in 2012 and standing by him as the franchise struggled; he got the Magic to the playoffs in April where they won a game against the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors; and then he re-signed a contract that will keep the native of Montenegro and his family in his adopted and beloved hometown of Orlando for years to come.
``With all the struggles in the past, it’s not like you question yourself, but you always look to see if there was something wrong that I was doing and you have these good seasons and it doesn’t really matter,’’ Vucevic said candidly. ``Last season, when I had a great year, the team won and everything came together, you’re pumped about it and that gives you a huge boost. I really think that’s going to help me, as well, this season. Just knowing that I finally got to where I needed to be, and now with the contract signed, I can just go out there and play totally free.’’
Vucevic was anything but free during the playoffs last spring as he was constantly hounded by Toronto Raptors’ 7-footers Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. All the success that he had during the season vanished in a five-game series where he averaged just 11.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting a dismal 36.2 percent from the floor and 23.1 percent from 3-point range.
Looking back on a series that was difficult to stomach, Vucevic said it provides a primer for what he likely can expect in the season ahead. Following an all-star season full of career highs, he is well aware that teams will likely cover him with their best defenders and either shade coverages his way or relentlessly trap him to get the ball out of his hands.
``That’s a challenge you want to take on,’’ said Vucevic, who showed up to training camp sharp and in shape after spending a chunk of his offseason playing for Montenegro in the FIBA World Cup basketball tournament in China. ``When you achieve a high level in this league you want to do everything that you can to maintain it or do even better. So, it’s a sign of respect that you are going to get from other teams and you’ve just got to figure it out and make adjustments. It’s a challenge I’m looking forward to and it’s what I’ve always wanted. I do that and I think I can be even better this season.’’
A ``better’’ Vucevic could potentially mean a deep playoff run for a Magic team that has the same front-office regime and coaching staff back along with 12 returning players from last season’s squad that closed with a stirring 22-9 run. A big key for Vucevic to being even better than he was is him maintaining his health. He played 80 of a possible 82 games last season as opposed to the 87 games he missed due to injuries over the previous six years.
Healthy and happy in Orlando, Vucevic wants more in the season ahead – both from himself and from a Magic team that he hopes can be a contender in the Eastern Conference.
``The way that I look at the game now and the way that I approach it is different than I did a few years ago,’’ Vucevic said, referring to his maturing game and mental approach. ``Also, the system that I’m playing in now fits me very well. But I think the mental aspect is really something that has helped me a lot.
``Once you get a taste of winning, a taste of the playoffs, you just want to do that even more,’’ Vucevic added. ``That’s really the case with the guys who have been here a few years, especially the tough years with not much winning. Now, after turning it around and getting back to winning, we’re all very motivated. You could just feel it over the summer … and the guys are very excited for this. We really want to have a better season and we all believe that we can.’’
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