Nikola Vucevic is one of the main reasons why the Orlando Magic made the 2019 NBA Playoffs, but the All-Star center was a shadow of his usual self in his last two games.
Vucevic is the center of the offensive sets of the Magic, but the Toronto Raptors have done a great job in limiting his touches.
According to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, the usage rate of Vucevic went down from 27.3 percent during the regular season to 22.8 percent in the first-round series between the Raptors and the Magic.
The 28-year-old center admitted that he is having a hard time dealing with the defense of Toronto in their series. He pointed out that he found a lot of scoring opportunities in the first two games, but the Raptors were quick to react with a double team, which he believes is the puzzle that he needs to solve in the next games.
“I got the ball in some decent spots in the post a few times and they double team me early and it makes it hard for me to create anything,” Vucevic said. “They do a good job taking away a lot of my strengths. I’ve just gotta figure it out. Find a way to be more aggressive and more efficient offensively.”
In Game 1, where the Magic escape with a 104-101 road win, Vucevic finished with just 11 points on 3-for-14 shooting from the field. In Orlando's 111-82 loss in Game 2, the 7-foot center ended up with just six points in 25 minutes.
Vucevic averaged 20.8 points on top of 12.0 rebounds per game during the regular season.
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