Breakdown Bonanza: Nikola Vucevic, An Underappreciated Big Man

Oct 10, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) backs in on Indiana Pacers center Ian Mahinmi (28) in the third quarter of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Orlando Magic beat the Indiana Pacers by the score of 96-93. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Offense

As one of the main pieces in Orlando’s rebuilding puzzle, Nikola Vucevic’s overall offensive progression has remained under the radar during his two seasons with the team. The basis behind his evolution rests on two separate factors: an increased role inside the team’s rotation and his continued ability to score from most areas of the court. While that ability is clearly apparent, Vucevic’s main method of attack on that offensive end would be his post-up ability.

Under a first impression, it would appear that his muscular 7-foot-frame would be his biggest weapon in post-up situations but Vucevic is able to remain a consistent threat because of his extremely solid footwork. That particular skill-set has allowed Vucevic to be able to be productive in a variety of different ways. When posting-up, Vucevic has continued to showcase a knack for utilizing that stellar ability to work his way around the opposition to get an easier look at the rim. Even when he’s met by an opponent inside the paint, the 23-year-old Vucevic has continued to demonstrate a certain level of patience that a lot of other young front-court players don’t.

Another avenue would be how Vucevic is able to perform in back-to-the-basket situations. When posting-up, he’s able to combine his solid footwork with an extremely soft touch to be an effective low-post threat.

While a lot of his offense comes in low-post scenarios, Vucevic has continued to showcase a knack as a pick-and-roll threat. As previously mentioned, Vucevic is extremely quick for a seven-foot center. While that quickness helped him get a low-post advantage, he’s able to utilize that particular trait to be a very effective and versatile pick-and-roll threat.

When he’s working around the perimeter as a screener, Vucevic is able to utilize his quickness to get an opening from the opposition when he’s working his way to the rim. Even though he’ll never be mistaken for a  wing player, Vucevic is quicker than the majority of front-court players that are held up to the task of working against him, which allows the Magic center to be easily able to cut past them. Another trait that allows him to remain effective in the pick-and-roll would be his solid ball-handling abilities. By utilizing those ball-handling abilities alongside quickness, Vucevic is able to consistently work his way from the perimeter to score from around the rim.

While his work as a penetrator has allowed him to get an advantage over the opposition, Vucevic is able to be a well-rounded pick-and-roll threat because of his work as a mid-range shooter. When Vucevic is situated away from the paint, he still showcases the same comfort level that he has when he’s working from inside the paint. The majority of that is because of his extremely smooth shooting stroke. Even though that stroke can be a little slow, his long, 7’4 wingspan has been able to counteract his sluggish shooting stroke.

The final trait that has allowed Vucevic to be a well-rounded offensive threat would be his work as an offensive rebounder. During the prior season, Vucevic finished in the top-5 in the entire league with an extremely solid 3.8 offensive rebounds per game. While his size has definitely helped, Vucevic is able to effective because of how he’s able to anticipate the direction that the missed shot would take. That anticipation allows Vucevic to consistently be located in the correct position, which helps him be able to easily collect the offensive board.

Defense

Transitioning over the defensive end, Vucevic is able to carry over the same skills that allowed him to effective on the other end. One of those traits would the utilization of his strong seven-foot frame which prevents the opposition from being able to take advantage of him in the low-post.  By preventing the opponent from taking advantage of him in post-up situations, Vucevic’s able to take control of the situation. Even though Vucevic wouldn’t be labeled as an atypical rim protector (.8 blocks per game), he’s still able to remain an effective low-post defender that causes havoc for the opposition.

Away from the post-ups, Vucevic’s effectiveness becomes of a question. Similar to other players that we’ve covered in this short series, the Magic center tends to keep his focus entrenched on the ball-handler, even though he’s supposed to guard an opposing front-court player. Those instances allows his man to get an open look at the rim while Vucevic struggles to recover.

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With the impeding starting backcourt of Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo, Vucevic might be the perfect center to be aligned with that young duo. While his mid-range ability creates a lot of pick-and-pop possibilities, Vucevic’s post-up proficiency can also create some perimeter openings as Payton and Oladipo continue to progress as potential perimeter options. Even if that duo or the rest of the young Magic core encounter issues from the perimeter, Vucevic would be able to create second chance opportunities with his knack as an offensive rebounder.

Speaking of the young backcourt duo, their perimeter defending abilities might be able to help prevent players from cutting to the rim, which will have a positive impact on Vucevic since he does tend to keep his focus on the ball-handler.

Though Vucevic does have his flaws, he might be one of the more well-rounded and dependable front-court players in the NBA. On a night-by-night basis, Vucevic can be counted on to have a double-double performance, which is an extremely valuable trait for a rebuilding team like the Magic. While Orlando continues to search for the right pieces for the organization, they certainly have one in Vucevic.