Orlando Magic: Top 5 performers from standout start

1. Nikola Vucevic

On a list this impressive, it says a lot that Nikola Vucevic leads this team’s impressive start to the season — even more so when you consider the center spot he plays was thought to be decreasing in importance as teams go smaller and shoot more.

Now that Vucevic has beaten out Bismack Biyombo for that starting role, as well as expanded his game outside of the paint even more than last year, he has really taken off.

People forget but “Vooch” has averaged a double-double for four of his five seasons with the team so far, so he had been carrying them already. Like Fournier, he just has more help now.

Barring Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James, Vucevic was the best player in the league in week one, averaging 23.8 points and 10.3 assists per game.

Add this to his PER of 29.3 (13th-best mark in the league) and some fantastic performances on both ends, and it’s easier to see how the Magic have been so good.

For those keeping track, the team has three players in the top 31 in the NBA in PER, arguably the biggest factor in this out-of-nowhere great start.

When this team needs a basket, they give the ball to Vucevic. His offensive arsenal, already accomplished, has been taken to the next level with the addition of a 3-point shot. As well as shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc, Vucevic has an effective field goal percentage of 64.9 percent right now, by far a career high.

Next: 2017-18 Week 2 NBA Power Rankings

There have been many reasons for the Orlando Magic’s unexpected start to the season, but they all revolve around the play of Vucevic. They likely will continue to do so as well.