Orlando Magic Starting Five Breakdown: Nikola Vucevic
By Luke Duffy
The Key Statistic
Last season, Vucevic posted a defensive +/- score of minus-0.1. Now, while that may not look too bad, it is effectively saying that when he’s on the court, he contributes less than a league average player at his position per 100 possessions. What’s even more puzzling about that number is that it was a career low for him as well.
New head coach Scott Skiles will surely improve this team’s overall defence.
But if Vucevic is already beginning to trend downwards in that category, it’s a worry. Backup center Kyle O’Quinn, a better defensive player (defensive +/- of plus-2.0) is gone to the New York Knicks, while Dewayne Dedmon is much worse in that department (minus-3.3), although he’s young and has plenty of time to grow.
The point is, if this team has any hope of challenging for a playoff spot in the open Eastern Conference, Vucevic needs to be more productive on that end of the court.
Next: For Vucevic, His Time Could Be Now