Orlando Magic: Nikola Vucevic’s postseason disappointment

Nikola Vucevic was a postseason disappointment for the Orlando Magic in the 2019 NBA Playoffs. What comes next?

With the Orlando Magic being one of the feel-good stories of the 2018-19 NBA season and overachieving in the eyes of most by making the playoffs, their first round matchup was seen as something of a celebration. It was a free shot against the heavily favored Toronto Raptors.

It also served to get the seven-year monkey off the franchise’s back by making it back to the postseason at all. It got even better, with D.J. Augustin hitting a game-winner in Game 1 that might go down as one of the best moments in team history (yet somehow wasn’t the best that it got all season).

In other words, despite five-game series loss, everything is good … except for one, inescapable and ugly fact: the lackluster play of All-Star Nikola Vucevic throughout the series against the Raptors. Now that the planning for next season can begin, it is time to examine what Vucevic’s vanishing acts means for the organization going forward, and if he’ll even be a part of it at all.

Vucevic is an unrestricted free agent this summer. This would’ve put the Magic in a tough position had he carried over his strong regular season play into the postseason, but that did not happen.

Instead he was a non-factor, putting up series averages of 11.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. His Player Efficiency Rating of 10.2 was an appalling figure, especially when you consider the 25.5 PER he put up during the regular season was the ninth-highest in the entire league. This weakens his bargaining position.

(Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Bismack Biyombo once received a four-year, $72 million deal from the Magic off of one strong playoff series against the Raptors alone (admittedly during a crazy summer or reckless spending), so by that logic, Vucevic may have shaved some dollars off his own next deal. The playoffs are when players need to play their best, and it is clear Vucevic did not.

The Magic may be able to bring him back on a team-friendly deal, much like the four-year, $53 extension he signed in Orlando back in 2015, but even that may not work anymore. Rookie center

Mohamed Bamba had a tough year, and his injury coincided with the upward trajectory of the team. But there’s no question he’s the long-term prospect at that position, with the current front office having a good record of picking big men.

If that complicates matters, then the emergence of Khem Birch throws everything into disarray. It was Birch who stepped up when Bamba went down, powering the Magic off the bench with the kind of defensive plays that get guys paid around the league.

More from NBA Playoffs

He is a restricted free agent this summer, and has become integral to the Magic’s bench and identity. It is not hard to see another organization handing him an offer sheet, testing the Magic’s resolve to keep him while forcing them to commit funds to ensure he stays too. He is even an All-Star of a different kind himself.

Bamba and Birch more closely fit the timeline of where the Magic are right now, as an up-and-coming outfit who, with the right offseason moves and improvement from within, can make the next leap. Vucevic, on the other hand, is already in his prime, and it is unclear how much better he can get.

Building around him throughout the regular season has paid off, but the Magic have to have loftier aspirations than getting the 7- or 8-seed. A young core of Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz and Bamba surely has more potential than that. The Raptors were able to nullify Vooch easily in the playoffs though, with Marc Gasol doing a great job of taking him out of rhythm throughout the series.

Interestingly though, Vucevic’s no-show meant others were forced to step up, and this may contribute to him not being brought back. Gordon was great throughout the series against the Raptors, one of the few players who looked like he was comfortable and belonged in the playoffs.

https://twitter.com/BrandonRon10/status/1120904889427734529

He was brilliant in Game 4 in particular, putting up 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a loss. He also did his best to slow down Kawhi Leonard, and while this is essentially impossible, Gordon did about as good a job as you will see. His two-way play is becoming a useful tool for the Magic defensively, as head coach Steve Clifford seeks to make them elite on this end.

The biggest positive to come from the matchup is that in future, the Magic know Gordon will be somebody they can call upon in the postseason. The same is not true of Vucevic, and after such a great year, it was disappointing to see.

Next. Top 100 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season. dark

He played poorly in the playoffs, and it may be all that the Magic needed to see to convince themselves that they’re better off moving on without him. It would be a cruel end to a partnership that has seen Vooch become a top 12 all-time franchise player, but this team is on another path now. Nikola Vucevic took them as far as he could, but as long as he is the centerpiece of the team, Orlando’s ability to advance in the playoffs will be unclear.