NBA Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic’s Nikola Vucevic Primed For Breakout Season

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By @MWCompton

Nikola Vucevic Magic

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA Today Sports

No one is expecting a playoff berth from the Orlando Magic this season, but third-year head coach Jacque Vaughn has his young team playing competitive basketball. A big reason is the consistent play of Nikola Vucevic, who is rapidly establishing himself as one of the toughest big men in the NBA.

At 7-feet, 260 pounds and entering his fourth season as a pro, Vucevic plays with aggressiveness and confidence. He can punish defenders with his size and can hit shots from outside the paint. His emergence has been steady since he was a first-round pick by the Philadelphia 76ers out of USC in the 2011 NBA Draft. Vucevic is one of only five players to average at least 10 rebounds per game over the last two seasons; the others are Kevin Love, Joakim Noah, Zach Randolph and Dwight Howard.

Limited to just 57 games last year due to injury, Vucevic possesses plenty of upside and has been a consistent performer in the Magic’s first three games this season. In last week’s opener against the New Orleans Pelicans, Vucevic grabbed 23 rebounds and scored 15 points in the 101-84 defeat.

The Magic nearly upset the high-powered Washington Wizards in their second game of the season, with Vucevic going off for 23 points in 38 minutes. He also added 12 boards in the 105-98 loss that featured a furious second-half rally that almost resulted in a dramatic come-from-behind victory for the Magic at Amway Center. He fouled out of Saturday’s game against the Toronto Raptors, but not before scoring 15 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing four assists. He also added a block and a steal in the 108-95 loss.

While Vucevic has stepped up early in the season, the Magic have been unable to string together a complete game. Offensively, the Magic have moved the ball well at times, but haven’t been consistent over 48 minutes. With rookies Aaron Gordon (4th overall pick) and Elfrid Payton (10th overall pick) learning on the job, the Magic will need time to gel as a team.

There are plenty of “ifs” surrounding this year’s Magic team, but Vucevic isn’t one of them. The Magic can count on their talented big man to produce double-doubles most nights and pace a team in search of a go-to centerpiece. Granted, the Magic season is only three games old, but Vucevic is averaging 17.7 points per game and 15.7 rebounds, a notable improvement over his career averages of 11.5 and 9.8, respectively.

Growth and progress are often measured by wins, but for this year’s Magic team simply developing good habits and being competitive on a consistent basis will provide enough optimism that brighter days are ahead in Orlando. Vucevic, who recently signed a $54 million contract extension with the Magic and another high lottery pick next year, will see to that.

Michael Compton is a Jacksonville Jaguars writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter at @MWCompton and connect with him on Google.

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