ORLANDO – For whatever reason, November basketball seems to bring out the best in Orlando Magic all-star center Nikola Vucevic.
On the heels of Sunday’s dynamic 30-point, 17-rebound, six-assist performance in Orlando’s defeat of the Washington Wizards, Vucevic was named the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week on Monday.
For Vucevic, the longest-tenured player on the Magic, it is his third time winning the East’s Player of the Week award and the second year in a row that he has captured the honor in mid-November. Previously, he won the East Player of the Week award on March 30, 2014.
In three games this past week, Vucevic averaged 21.7 points, 14.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.33 blocks per game while shooting 54.2 percent (26-48) overall and 66.7 percent (6-9) from 3-point range.
The 7-footer, who once again leads the Magic in scoring and rebounding, sparked Orlando to a 3-0 record during the week with victories over Philadelphia, San Antonio and Washington. Vucevic tallied double-doubles in all three games, including Sunday’s 30-point, 17-rebound, six-assist effort as the Magic edged the Wizards 125-121.
Only five players in the 31-year history of the Magic have notched games with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and five assists – Shaquille O’Neal (three times), Tobias Harris (once), Dwight Howard (once) and Tracy McGrady (once) are the others – and Vucevic leads the way with four such performances.
A 2019 NBA All-Star, Vucevic has started all 13 games this season and leads the Magic in scoring (18.2) and rebounding (12.1). Also, he is averaging 3.4 assists and 1.08 blocks a night in 32.3 minutes per game. He has led (or tied) the Magic in scoring six times, in rebounding 11 times and in assists three times.
Vucevic has recorded a team-high 10 double-doubles, the fourth-most in the NBA. He’s tied for seventh in the league in rebounding and ranks 31st in blocked shots.
Last season, Vucevic was named the East’s Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 18. During that four-game stretch a year ago, the center averaged 27.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.25 steals while shooting 58.1 percent from the floor and 47.1 percent from 3-point range.
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