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Nikola Vucevic has made a name for himself as one of the best centers in the East this season. He made it to the All-Star team for the first time, and he's currently putting up impressive averages of 20.7 points and 12.1 rebounds while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from deep.
There is no denying the fact that Vucevic has made a significant development in his game this season, and in his interview with News 13's Pat Welter, he said head coach Steve Clifford should be given a ton of credit for helping him become a better player this year:
“To me the biggest impact was coach Cliff. The one thing he’s done great is using me inside and out. Give me an opportunity to really use my skills.”
Clifford has been able to get the best out of Vucevic, and the big man has shown a lot of growth and maturity both on and off the court. Vucevic vouching for Clifford is a good sign for the Magic, as he's set to become a free agent this summer. Having a great player-coach relationship gives Orlando a legitimate chance of keeping him, especially since Vucevic believes in his coach's vision for the foreseeable future:
“I like where we are going. I think the best thing that the front office did was bringing in coach Cliff. Someone that’s tough minded, someone that knows exactly what he wants of players that’s very organized. I mean the whole coaching staff you can just see how tight they are how very well organized they are. They are all on the same page and I think that translates to the players.”
As of the moment, Orlando is one game behind the Miami Heat for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. It is high time for both Nikola Vucevic and Steve Clifford to do their best in order to will the team to the postseason.
