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Orlando Magic: 3 unexpected stats from promising start

By Luke Duffy

ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 14: Head Coach Steve Clifford of the Orlando Magic speaks to the team during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 14, 2018 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 14: Head Coach Steve Clifford of the Orlando Magic speaks to the team during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 14, 2018 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

3. Nikola Vucevic’s player efficiency rating

Now in his seventh season in Orlando, center Nikola Vucevic is having the most complete season of his career. He has been the Magic’s best player, a consistent presence offensively and a player who, although below-average defensively, has still come up with some nice plays on that end.

So far this season he has led the Magic in rebounding 10 times, scoring six times and, perhaps most surprising and impressive of all, assists twice. Put simply he is doing all he can to ensure they win games.

However this isn’t something that is new to Vucevic’s game. Putting up big numbers has been his thing for years now, and he has averaged a double-double in four out of his six years with the Magic (he is also doing so this year, averaging 18.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game).

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What has changed however is how these numbers aren’t of the empty kind anymore. Vucevic has had plenty of monster games that the Magic have ended up losing in the past. They also haven’t been relevant in the playoff race past early December in his time as their best player either.

This season though, Vucevic is posting a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 25, by far the best mark of his career. PER is a category created by ESPN’s John Hollinger which “sums up all a player’s positive accomplishments, subtracts the negative accomplishments, and returns a per-minute rating of a player’s performance”.

Not only is Vucevic’s number much higher than the league average of around 15, it is also the 14th best mark in the entire NBA right now. That as a stat tells you not only how important he is, but more crucially how his impact is allowing the Magic to win games.

You can check out here the impressive list of players that Vucevic is currently ranking ahead of in this category, and combined with improved teammates around him goes some way to explaining why the Magic are where they are right now.

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