Orlando Magic: Grading Nikola Vucevic’s 2019-20 NBA season

Nikola Vucevic’s final grade

You can’t ask for much more from Vucevic, who at 29 is in his prime and gives the Magic everything they could have ever wanted from him. Consistent scoring and rebounding, as well as high level passing for a center. To then come through in the postseason when we hadn’t seen that from him before, and after last year’s no show, was huge.

The knowledge that this roster is what it is while he is their best player will always be in the back of fan’s minds, but that is not going to change anytime soon. The organization don’t have any financial flexibility as things stand, and although Vucevic’s trade value won’t ever be higher than it is now (until he becomes an expiring deal), nobody who could trade for him is going to do so.

But the fact is the Magic are somewhat relevant again, and Vucevic deserves a lot of credit for that. He makes his teammates better and seems to be a quiet leader off the court, with the franchise modelling itself off of who Vucevic is.

There were a number of quiet highs throughout the year that did not get the mainstream media attention of the previous season, which shows a regression of sorts. Then again the consistent brilliance of a guy who is not a flashy type of player is always going to be overlooked, especially in a small market like Orlando.

Expect more of the same from Vucevic in the coming years, and perhaps only when he is gone will what he has been able to accomplish and do with the Orlando Magic be fully appreciated. He is a tremendous talent, and the team are lucky to have him. It is just a shame that in doing so they are locked into the version of themselves that we see now.

Grade: A-