Nikola Vucevic acknowledged Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford as one of the ‘big reasons' why he agreed to re-sign with the team.
Per Josh Robbins of The Athletic, the 28-year-old Montenegrin center laid out the reasons on why he agreed to a four-year, $100 million deal with the Magic. Apart from being in Orlando since 2012, Vucevic shared that his head coach was a big factor, citing Clifford's respect and overall skill as a coach.
“Cliff really helped me take my game to a whole other level,” Vucevic said. “I think him and I built a huge level of respect in our first season, and I really enjoyed playing for him, and he was one of the big reasons I wanted to come back. He had a huge influence on it.”
“Obviously, he showed over the year a lot of times that he’s a great coach. He helped me a lot and helped the team a lot, and I think now that we have a year under our belt working with him and he has a year under his belt working with us, he knows us and there’s a comfort level. I think the continuity is going to help us grow even more.”
Clifford, who was the Charlotte Hornets' head coach from 2013 to 2018, was hired by the Magic last year. In his first season in Orlando, he tallied a 42-40 record which was enough to qualify for the playoffs. Along the way, Clifford helped maximize the talent of Vucevic who logged in career-high numbers of 20.8 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He was also named into the All-Star team for the first time in his career.
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