Not a lot has gone right for the Orlando Magic during this injury-riddled season. The injuries have left the team reeling at times and have led to a near-daily shuffling of lineups. The Magic entered the NBA All-Star break on a five-game losing streak and are 14th in the Eastern Conference.
But Orlando has a feel-good story playing out Sunday in Atlanta.
In fact, it’s part of a feel-good career.
Magic center Nikola Vucevic will wear an All-Star uniform for the second time in his career as the All-Star Game plays out at State Farm Arena. And his journey to become one of the league’s top players has been a blend of hard work, dedication, skill, intelligence and confidence.
While Vucevic aims to enjoy his second NBA All-Star experience, his participation also serves as a flashpoint for his career. Humbled by the selection, the merits of the accomplishment are not lost on Vucevic.
“You get selected among 24 players out of 450 to make it and it’s a special feeling and a huge honor, something I’m very proud of,” he said. “It just shows that you’ve achieved a great level of respect from coaches around the league, other players around the league, and when you’re able to make it multiple times it kind of fortifies that.”
Vucevic will suit up for Team Durant for the All-Star Game, which begins at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on TNT. Prior to that, Vucevic will take part in the Skills Challenge, which is set to begin at 6:30 (also on TNT).
Vucevic is having arguably the best season of his 10-year NBA career. While his scoring (24.6 ppg) is the highest it’s ever been, it’s more about the effect he has on the Magic offense. His ability to shoot the 3-pointer helps space the floor, and when the Magic get the ball to him in the post or at the elbow, he’s able to make shots or find open teammates.
Not bad for a player who came into the league with mostly post-up skills.
Magic coach Steve Clifford certainly has played a role in Vucevic’s development. Clifford has given Vucevic confidence in further expanding his game to the perimeter and helped ease some of the reservations Vucevic had about taking more of a role with the offense.
Clifford said playing through Vucevic, whose usage rate of 29.5% is tied for 19th in the NBA, showcases more than the center’s shooting.
“He’s an elite decision-maker,” Clifford said. “He shoots when he should shoot. He passes when he should pass. And he makes his teammates better just by the very nature of how he plays. That’s what our game is if you watch the best teams now and the best players.”
Still, the 3-pointer has been the biggest factor in elevating Vucevic’s game.
In his first six seasons, Vucevic attempted a combined 26 3-pointers. During the 2016-17 season, he began to sprinkle in more attempts from behind the arc and wound up 23-of-75 in 75 games.
By the following season, Vucevic took 204 3-pointers. He shot 31.4% that year, certainly a respectable number for a post-up center.
More importantly, Vucevic laid the groundwork for where he is now — one of the best 3-point shooting big men in the NBA.
Through 36 games, Vucevic is 96-for-223 from behind the arc for a shooting clip of 41.2%. His best 3-point mark came in 2018-19 — his first All-Star season — when he shot 36.4% on 3s (his rookie season was better at 37.5% but he took just eight 3s).
Vucevic has career-highs of 98 for 3-pointers made and 289 for 3-pointers attempted in a season — marks he will almost assuredly surpass during the second half of the schedule.
Vucevic has added more than pick-and-pop aspect to his game. He often finds open shots as the trailer in transition and teammates know to look for him. Vucevic is tied for third with Miami’s Duncan Robinson and Washington’s Davis Bertans — a pair of wing players — in catch-and-shoot 3s at 2.7 per game.
“When you compare his play from last year or two years ago, that’s just the key,” Magic shooting guard Evan Fournier said. “He’s always been dominant down low when he catches the ball in the paint. His hook shots and his fadeaways and stuff, he’s always been very good at that. But this year, it’s just the quick 3 on top of the key. It’s a game-changer.”
Vucevic will put more than his shooting on display in Sunday’s Skills Challenge, where he’ll compete against Dallas’ Luka Doncic, Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis (last year’s runner-up), Phoenix’s Chris Paul, Portland’s Robert Covington and New York’s Julius Randle.
In his first Skills Challenge, Vucevic was knocked out in the first round by Nuggets center and good friend Nikola Jokic.
“Hopefully this time around I’ll at least get through the first round,” Vucevic said.
Here’s a list of the past NBA Skills Challenge winners:
2003 – Jason Kidd, New Jersey
2004 – Baron Davis, New Orleans
2005 – Steve Nash, Phoenix
2006 – Dwyane Wade, Miami
2007 – Dwyane Wade, Miami
2008 – Deron Williams, Utah
2009 – Derrick Rose, Chicago
2010 – Steve Nash, Phoenix
2011 – Stephen Curry, Golden State
2012 – Tony Parker, San Antonio
2013 – Damian Lillard, Portland
2014 – Trey Burke, Utah and Damian Lillard, Portland
2015 – Patrick Beverley, Houston
2016 – Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota
2017 – Kristaps Porzingis, New York
2018 – Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn
2019 – Jayson Tatum, Boston
2020 – Bam Adebayo, Miami
This story first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Roy Parry at rparry@orlandosentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @osroyparry
