Orlando Magic: 3 goals for Nikola Vucevic in 2018-19
By Chris Murch
2. Increase scoring average
This goal goes hand-in-hand with the last goal, but in order for Vucevic to stay in Orlando, he is going to need to return to his high-scoring ways.
The last two years saw a dip in consistency from Vucevic. In 2017-18 he only had five games in which he went for 25-plus points and only six the season before. While he did put up 41 points against the Brooklyn Nets in October, 34 against the New York Knicks and 31 against the Atlanta Hawks last season, he put up 15 points or less 31 times last season. Those big games were balanced out by the seven games where he failed to reach double digits. Consistency will be key moving forward for Vucevic.
Vucevic can help himself in a lot of ways by upping his scoring averages. While he probably won’t receive more minutes this season, if he is efficient in the 28-32 minutes he receives, he can make his life a lot easier come next offseason.
The Magic signed Vucevic to a four-year, $53 million deal before the 2015-16 season. Looking back, it’s an absolute gem of a contract given his production. If Vucevic is looking to receive this type of money on the open market this summer, he can do himself a favor by balling out in this contract year.
In a tale as old as NBA time, players with a year left on their contract typically try to hoist up shots and play with a little more intensity in hopes of securing that next big paycheck. Vucevic is still in a good position with his age and output to get some good money on the open market, but this depends on how effective he is this season.
This is the most important season of Vucevic’s career, pivotal because he could be dealt, but also because he’s in a position to get his last big contract. There could be a lot of volatility to his season, but he is in a good position to control what he can. Getting back to an 18-20 points per game scorer helps his stock as well as the Magic’s for the upcoming season.
If Vucevic takes a step back this season, he could see his next big contract slip through his fingers.