Player Profile: Nikola Pekovic
Three seasons ago, Wolves center Nikola Pekovic had trouble breaking through. Limited by fouls, Pekovic averaged just 13.6 minutes per game his rookie year and began last season down the depth chart tasked with tweaking his game and trying to earn his minutes.
Over the past two seasons, he’s done just that.
When Pekovic began getting minutes under coach Rick Adelman and his assistant coaching staff in 2011-12, there was little doubt Pekovic had a spot in this league as a starting center. As Darko Milicic missed time with injury, Pekovic increased his playing time and secured his role with the Wolves. That blossomed further this past season, leading to career highs in points, rebounds, assists and blocks. The future is bright for Pekovic, whose game is a rare commodity in today’s NBA.
If you ask his coaches, it’s no coincidence he’s continued to improve and grow.
“He’s really comfortable in his own skin, confident in the fact that he can absorb things,” assistant coach Jack Sikma said. “For instance, we’re talking about different things this summer. All you’ve got to do is have a conversation with him, you agree, you buy in, he does it. Make a plan, he’ll do it. Coachability. He’s very coachable.”
Pekovic is about as well liked as you can get inside a locker room. His coaches marvel at his dedication and his willingness to listen, learn and grow. His teammates love his personality—he’s a guy who some deem the funniest, and with good reason. Pekovic is more than able to send groups of teammates and media members into a collective laugh with one-liners and quips.
And coaches and players alike agree that Pekovic is a player that can make an incredible impact on the court, because there aren’t many big men in the league like him anymore. As lovable as he is off the court, Pekovic is a handful in competition. He bruises opponents with his power, he can play with his back to the basket and he sets screens in the pick-and-roll game that opens up avenues for the Wolves’ shifty point guards.
In a league currently dominated by perimeter play, Pekovic is a throwback. There are only a handful of players who have his type of skill set on the offensive end, a guy who averages 3.7 offensive rebounds per game while posting up and controlling the paint.
Pekovic is entering a summer in which he’s a restricted free agent, meaning come July 1 he can talk with other teams about potential offers. The Wolves have the opportunity to match any offer sheets Pekovic signs with another team.
No question, the Wolves hope to hang onto Pekovic. When he and Kevin Love share the court together, they provide the type of offensive rebounding few teams can match. Neither play above the rim when pulling down boards—instead, they have an innate knack for positioning under the glass.
Another thing Pekovic continues to improve upon is running the floor. Watching him move from basket to basket is a testament to the type of work ethic he puts in each game. You’ll find him receiving passes as a trailer when the Wolves are in transition from time to time, benefiting from Ricky Rubio’s court vision on a number of occasions.
And late in games, Pekovic is not a liability on the floor. He knocks down free throws at a 74.4 percent clip, meaning the Wolves don’t need to worry about situations where their big man is vulnerable down the stretch because defenses send him to the line. Pekovic proved throughout the season he not only can make free throws, but he expects to make them. That’s a luxury in this league, as we’ve seen through the years with dynamic All-Star centers having a difficult time from the line.
“Free throws are a big part of his game,” Sikma said. “He’s going to average multiple free throws a game, and if his game expands a little bit more, if he shows some things, his ability to get to the line will increase because you’re putting the defender in a position where he’s not quite sure what you’re going to do and you may be able to get him to commit more.”
Highlight of the Year
Down by two with under a minute to play on Dec. 15 against Dallas, Pekovic rolled hard to the hoop down the middle of the lane and took a sweet pass from Ricky Rubio underneath the basket. Pekovic scored, tying the game with 49.6 seconds to play. It was the final basket of regulation, and the Wolves went on to beat the Mavs 114-106. Pekovic ended up with 21 points and nine boards on 10-of-21 shooting for the game.