Orlando Magic: Top 10 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season
By Luke Duffy
3. Nikola Vucevic named an All-Star
It says a lot about how well the season ultimately went for the Magic that Vucevic’s first All-Star nod placed third on this list. This was a moment of vindication for both player and team, and it was hugely deserved by Vooch, who could now claim to be among the best two or three big men in the East.
For the team, it highlighted that it was trending in the right direction and had a star player with which to attack a postseason berth. It validated the Magic’s approach to build around him and gave fans who were sick of seeing their team overlooked something to point to.
Vucevic had been the best player on the roster for essentially all of the rebuild, toiling away for years while nobody cared about what was happening down in Orlando. This was his season to get to play in the All-Star game, but he had been putting up big numbers before this too.
He had averaged a double-double in four of the previous six previous seasons, and always did everything he could to help the team win, only they weren’t winning at an acceptable rate until this season. That changed, and Vucevic was able to play alongside all-time great Dirk Nowitzki in Charlotte.