Orlando Magic: 2018-19 player grades for Nikola Vucevic

Strengths

As mentioned already, the offensive end was where Nikola Vucevic shined brightest, as he once again averaged a double-double with 20.8 points and 12 rebounds, both of which were career-highs.

Something that flew under the radar, however, was his assist numbers. Vucevic has great hands for a big man, and is a willing passer of the ball.

Part of the reason the Magic found success throughout the year was their ability to give up good shots for better ones. Vucevic was integral in ensuring that way of playing started from the top down.

His 3.8 assists per game were again a career high, and at one point during the season he led the team in this category. He would end the season trailing only point guards D.J. Augustin (5.3) and Michael Carter-Williams (4.1) in this area.

Given that Carter-Williams was added late for the playoff push (he appeared in only 12 regular season games, this is even more impressive.

The Magic would finish 12th in assists during the regular season as a team (25.5 per game), and it is fair to give a lot of the credit to Vucevic. Whether moving the ball from the inside out or swinging it around the 3-point arc, Vucevic was useful in getting the ball to the open man.

That selflessness is what makes him one of the more unique All-Stars in the league, although as we will see this is not always a good thing. However his willingness to get others involved and not take all of the credit for himself, despite putting up big numbers, permeated throughout the roster.

Organizations usually take on the persona of their best player (the Toronto Raptors with Kawhi Leonard, quiet and devastating on their way to a title are a great recent example), and this was true of the Magic as well.

They looked to be enjoying themselves, finding ways to score as a unit and defending as one well. A lot of the same qualities of Vucevic, which are valuable to build around.