Orlando Magic: Nikola Vucevic, Three-Point Threat?

Nikola Vucevic is the Orlando Magic’s most consistent player, but could he add three-point shooting to his game next season?

For the Orlando Magic, right now it’s all about getting this season over and done with and coming back stronger next year. The team is in the midst of a horrible slump, having lost their last six games. But how exactly will they get better? Free agency would appear to be the obvious answer, while it must also be remembered that this team is heading back to the lottery this summer as well.

Really though, with all the young pieces already on this team, some guys are going to have to step up and just become better players. We’ve seen this in fits and starts through Evan Fournier and Victor Oladipo, but both of these guys have not yet found the key to sustaining the high level of play they can bring on a given night.

One guy who does everything he can to help this team win is center Nikola Vucevic. So much so in fact, that it’s hard to place any of the blame for this season’s shortcomings at his feet. He’s the most consistent player the team has, and he puts up big numbers nightly (averaging just shy of 18 points and nine rebounds a night).

Given how important his rebounding and scoring already is to this team (Vucevic leads the team in points, rebounds and blocks), it’s tough to ask him to do any more. However, it’s also forgotten sometimes just how impressive Vucevic is as an offensive big man in the NBA. He’s got soft hands, great feet and a jump shot that continues to expand away from the paint.

With that in mind, is it possible that next season Vucevic returns to the team armed with a more reliable three-point shot? Or would going that far away from the basket be counterproductive to all of the positives he brings to the Magic? Maybe becoming a better defensive presence should be his main goal for this offseason?

Personally, I’ve accepted that Vucevic is never going to be an elite rim protector. His defensive plus/minus of +1.3 per game is miles better than the -0.1 posted last season, and is just below his career high of 1.5. With defensive-minded guards like Oladipo and Elfrid Payton, the Magic can get by without Vucevic being dominant on that end. We already know how polished he is offensively, so why not try to add another layer to that side of his game instead?

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If you’ve watched Vucevic play this season, you will likely have seen him take more jump shots than ever before. He’s perfected his stroke, and for me at least, my heart isn’t in my mouth when he takes some of these shots. There was a time when that was not the case, and it’s clear he’s more confident in making those shots.

It’s no secret that the big man doesn’t enjoy the physical aspects of being a center, so taking those shots away from the basket appears to suit how he wants to approach the game. So why not expand on that a little more? For the season, Vucevic is shooting 33.3 percent on field goal attempts between 20-24 feet away from the basket. Is that a good number?

Not particularly, but it also must be noted that he’s only taking shots from this distance on average two times a game. So he’s trying it, and he’s making one in three of those efforts. While it looks like many of those shots are closer to 20 feet than 24 feet, the three point line is 22 feet away from the basket in each corner before the line starts to curve.

So why not spend some time venturing over to those spots to see if he can become even a little better at shooting the three-ball? Yes it would take him out of the paint for rebounding, and as their best rebounder that is a problem. But with slashers like Oladipo and Fournier in the team, it would also open the paint up in new ways for them to penetrate.

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Initially Vucevic might not command the respect of the defense by going out beyond the arc, but they’d be foolish not to send somebody to guard him if he can make a couple of these shots. Whether that’s the opposing team’s center or another player, that would benefit the Magic as they could create mismatches with the unique bunch that they have.

Even better, with Vucevic’s deft passing, he could drag his man away from the basket, only to find a teammate sprinting into the newfound space, leading to easier buckets for the Magic. When you also consider that this team is shooting 34.8 percent from three-point range for the season (good for 19th in the league), having another guy who can make those shots is a plus.

It’s not totally on Nikola Vucevic to make this team better by expanding his offensive game, but it makes a lot of sense. He already does so much for this team and in some ways is taken for granted because of his quiet demeanor and continued consistency in putting up big numbers without making a fuss. The NBA has gone three-point crazy of course, and even if Vucevic never joins in by shooting long range efforts, he’s still crucial to this team’s future.

But he’s just a talented offensive center in the NBA, and it’s not a stretch to call him a top-five player in that category. Defensively he doesn’t do a whole lot, although to his credit he is extremely good at straightening his body up to contest shots without giving away a ton of fouls.

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I just think the potential is there for so much more offensively out of this guy, and while it can’t be stressed enough that he’s already bringing so much to the table, the Magic could use any extra help they could get. Vucevic returning next season armed with a passable three-point shot from certain spots on the floor would certainly be a great place to start.