Orlando Magic: 3 players who need to step up in NBA playoffs

1. Nikola Vucevic

It goes without saying that Vucevic is top of this list, but the reasons are twofold. As the Orlando Magic’s best player, something he has been for years now, it is on Vucevic to carry this team when they need him to do so. We’ve seen this in the regular season, but not so far in the playoffs, although admittedly this is only his second time appearing there with the Magic.

Vucevic is only in the first of a four-year, $100 million contract, which is a tough number to digest for a big man at a time when the league has trended in the other direction. Nevertheless, Vucevic is among the most skilled offensive bigs in the game today, and on the defensive end head coach Steve Clifford has made him as competent as he is ever going to be.

He was an All-Star last season, is the highest-paid player on the team and is the focal point of their offense. All of which is to say, they need him to have a strong showing if they want to have any chance of giving the Bucks trouble. Which brings us to the second reason why he tops the list. Last year’s postseason appearance did not go well for him.

As has often been the case throughout his career, center Marc Gasol gave him fits, and kept him quiet throughout the series. Vucevic has been a double-double machine for most of his time in Orlando (six of his eight years to date), but that was not the case in the playoffs last year. After posting a career-high 20.8 points and 12 rebounds during the regular season, it got ugly.

Vucevic finished the brief playoff appearance having put up 11.2 points and 8 boards a night. Extremely pedestrian numbers. To have done this when so much was expected of him was tough, and this simply cannot happen again. To do so would make this series embarrassing.

Gordon was there to step up last time out, but it remains to be seen if that can happen again. The Magic’s best chance of defense could be offense in how they try and handle the Bucks because nobody is stopping Giannis. But if Vucevic can hit some 3-pointers, be crafty around the basket and find the open man with his crisp passing, then he will be able to hold his head high when the series is over.