Is Nikola Vučević actually any good?

[Creativetran]

Valanciunas

I knew as soon as I saw the Raptors icon, you were gonna mention this guy on why Vuc sucks...

[Creativetran]

it's just very hard to win with an offense only center.
He's also struggled in the playoffs, Raptors completely destroyed him 2 years ago

And then the following year he absolutely destroyed the Bucks, whatever man

[Johnny Bball]

Can't defend the PNR, good offensive player. You already know who I would compare him to OP, and I don't have to say it.

Vuc puts a ceiling on your team that is way too low. Not this low, but too low to win it.

[Yeezus_]

For me, he is like Derozan was for the Raptors. Can't really take you anywhere.

Except Demar's been to 3 ECF while Vuc has never made it out the first round. He seems to be more like Sabonis in terms of empty stats.

Sabonis is 24 years old, he didn’t play in the playoffs last year, and in 2018 the Pacers took the Cavs to game 7 and lost by 4 points. Slow your roll on calling Sabonis an empty stats player.

Read some impact stats that show the team is better with him on the bench lol. We'll see over time though.

[Winsome Gerbil]

Haven't watched him much, but whenever i do he looks unstoppable offensively. Maybe i'm just watching him the wrong games

There's no need to watch him. Its clear from his ABCDEF% and his NOPQR ratio that he's a scrub.

[Raptors_Dynasty]

To be honest I've never watched him outside of Raptor games so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I can't remember the last time he's had a good game against us.

[UcanUwill]

Valanciunas

I knew as soon as I saw the Raptors icon, you were gonna mention this guy on why Vuc sucks...

Can't defend the PNR, good offensive player. You already know who I would compare him to OP, and I don't have to say it.

Vuc puts a ceiling on your team that is way too low. Not this low, but too low to win it.

I am not arguing that Valančiūnas is some kind of star, but JV is universally seen as super flawed role player while Vuč is looked like an all star, and I just don't think hes better. I didn't even mentioned his defense, I think to begin with his offense is overrated. People keep saying he is not defender, but on the other hand is some kind of scoring savant, and I don't think hes warrant of that image of even great one way player. He is decent floor spacer who keeps getting more shots than he really deserve.

[Mickey8]

I am not big fan of him but I can't blame him for the lack of free throws attempts, its just that NBA league and the refs don't like Euro whites in general , Jokic is getting killed in the paint every night, he rarely gets the whistle, does that makes him the bad player??? Durant is pummeling him on the crucial play in the game , yet you get NBA report that Durant have played good defense , his arms are all scratched up every night. I think Vucevic is in the ranks of Valanciunas,Kanter , those types of the players even though he made two all star appearance , but he's not the better or a worse player than them, he's useful center .

[PlayerUp]

Karnisovas traded for him to guarantee a top 3 pick. An EoY-type move.

Orlando will take that top 8 pick thank you lol.

Not much value in the 8th pick.

2019 Jaxson Hayes, Texas – New Orleans Pelicans
2018 Collin Sexton, Alabama – Cleveland Cavaliers
2017 Frank Ntilikina, France – New York Knicks
2016 Marquese Chriss, Washington – Sacramento Kings
2015 Stanley Johnson, Arizona – Detroit Pistons
2014 Nik Stauskas, Michigan – Sacramento Kings
2013 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia – Detroit Pistons
2012 Terrence Ross, Washington – Toronto Raptors
2011 Brandon Knight, Kentucky – Detroit Pistons
2010 Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest – L.A. Clippers
2009 Jordan Hill, Arizona – New York Knicks
2008 Joe Alexander, West Virginia – Milwaukee Bucks
2007 Brandan Wright, North Carolina – Charlotte Bobcats (Draft rights traded to Golden State Warriors)
2006 Rudy Gay, Connecticut – Houston Rockets (Draft rights traded to Memphis Grizzlies)
2005 Channing Frye, Arizona – New York Knicks
2004 Rafael Araujo, BYU – Toronto Raptors
2003 T.J. Ford, Texas – Milwaukee Bucks
2002 Chris Wilcox, Maryland – L.A. Clippers
2001 DeSagana Diop, Oak Hill Academy (Va.) – Cleveland Cavaliers

[JonFromVA]

It'd be pure slander to say he isn't a good player, but personally, I'm not a fan of centers who aren't good defenders. He's not a liability, but he's not good enough on D for me to think he can ever be a 2nd option on a team that'll win a playoff series (unless the first option is LeBron James).

I wouldn't be too sure about that.

[rapstarter]

Karnisovas traded for him to guarantee a top 3 pick. An EoY-type move.

Orlando will take that top 8 pick thank you lol.

Not much value in the 8th pick.

2019 Jaxson Hayes, Texas – New Orleans Pelicans
2018 Collin Sexton, Alabama – Cleveland Cavaliers
2017 Frank Ntilikina, France – New York Knicks
2016 Marquese Chriss, Washington – Sacramento Kings
2015 Stanley Johnson, Arizona – Detroit Pistons
2014 Nik Stauskas, Michigan – Sacramento Kings
2013 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia – Detroit Pistons
2012 Terrence Ross, Washington – Toronto Raptors
2011 Brandon Knight, Kentucky – Detroit Pistons
2010 Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest – L.A. Clippers
2009 Jordan Hill, Arizona – New York Knicks
2008 Joe Alexander, West Virginia – Milwaukee Bucks
2007 Brandan Wright, North Carolina – Charlotte Bobcats (Draft rights traded to Golden State Warriors)
2006 Rudy Gay, Connecticut – Houston Rockets (Draft rights traded to Memphis Grizzlies)
2005 Channing Frye, Arizona – New York Knicks
2004 Rafael Araujo, BYU – Toronto Raptors
2003 T.J. Ford, Texas – Milwaukee Bucks
2002 Chris Wilcox, Maryland – L.A. Clippers
2001 DeSagana Diop, Oak Hill Academy (Va.) – Cleveland Cavaliers

8th pick gives you the chance to pick any player between 8th and 60th, so you can't just look at the historical 8th picks and say it doesn't have much value.

[NZB2323]

Except Demar's been to 3 ECF while Vuc has never made it out the first round. He seems to be more like Sabonis in terms of empty stats.

Sabonis is 24 years old, he didn’t play in the playoffs last year, and in 2018 the Pacers took the Cavs to game 7 and lost by 4 points. Slow your roll on calling Sabonis an empty stats player.

Read some impact stats that show the team is better with him on the bench lol. We'll see over time though.

And the last 2 seasons the Pacers were better with him on the floor. The Pacers having a solid bench unit with Myles Turner at Center doesn't make Sabonis an empty stats player.

In 19 and 20 the Pacers were better with Sabonis on the floor. This season they've been better with Turner on the floor.

In 2007 and 2004 Pau Gasol had negative on/off numbers. Donovan Mitchell has a negative on/off differential this year as well as last year. Kobe had negative on/off numbers in 2002 when Shaq was killing teams when Kobe was on the bench. Scottie Pippen had negative on/off numbers in 99. C-Webb had negative on/off numbers in 2000 and 2004. In 2014 Duncan had negative on/off numbers. Are all those guys empty stats players?

[jptremblay]

He isn’t a great player, but he is a good player. He had a weak supporting cast in Orlando and carried them to the playoffs 2 years in a row. Last year in the playoffs against the Bucks he averaged 28, 11, and 4 on 50/40/90 shooting.

Before coming to the Lakers, Pau Gasol only made the playoffs 3 times and was 0-12 in playoff games. I’m not saying that Vuc is as good as Pau, but Pau was called an empty stats player who wasn’t tough, didn’t get to the free throw line enough, and wasn’t a good enough defensive player. Kevin Love never made the playoffs when he was on the Timberwolves and was called all those things. Pair Vuc with a Kobe/Lebron type talent and he can win a championship. Durant is a big fan of Vuc and Lavine so maybe we’ll see him come to Chicago someday.

Mmm...Pau Gasol lead a trash roster to a playoff position several years in a stacked west. Vucevic Magic it's the classic team that isn't enough bad to tanking, and someone has to make the Playoff. And I don't remember anyone calling Pau an empty stats players...he just wasn't a number one guy, and even with that he was a positive player on both ends of the floor, something Vucevic can't do.

I'm not trying to bash Vucevic, he is a good player but the trade was stupid for Chicago since he isn't leading them to anywhere. He could be an elite six man in a contender or a 3rd option surrounded with good defensive players.

[CLosP]

Karnisovas traded for him to guarantee a top 3 pick. An EoY-type move.

Orlando will take that top 8 pick thank you lol.

Not much value in the 8th pick.

2019 Jaxson Hayes, Texas – New Orleans Pelicans
2018 Collin Sexton, Alabama – Cleveland Cavaliers
2017 Frank Ntilikina, France – New York Knicks
2016 Marquese Chriss, Washington – Sacramento Kings
2015 Stanley Johnson, Arizona – Detroit Pistons
2014 Nik Stauskas, Michigan – Sacramento Kings
2013 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia – Detroit Pistons
2012 Terrence Ross, Washington – Toronto Raptors
2011 Brandon Knight, Kentucky – Detroit Pistons
2010 Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest – L.A. Clippers
2009 Jordan Hill, Arizona – New York Knicks
2008 Joe Alexander, West Virginia – Milwaukee Bucks
2007 Brandan Wright, North Carolina – Charlotte Bobcats (Draft rights traded to Golden State Warriors)
2006 Rudy Gay, Connecticut – Houston Rockets (Draft rights traded to Memphis Grizzlies)
2005 Channing Frye, Arizona – New York Knicks
2004 Rafael Araujo, BYU – Toronto Raptors
2003 T.J. Ford, Texas – Milwaukee Bucks
2002 Chris Wilcox, Maryland – L.A. Clippers
2001 DeSagana Diop, Oak Hill Academy (Va.) – Cleveland Cavaliers

I think for Orlando they would use Chicago’s pick to move up depending on where their pick lands. It’s not necessarily about the 8th pick in itself but having the flexibility to trade up/down for assets or someone they like. If Orlando can get a solid starter with that pick then most people wouldn’t complain.

[elchengue20]

Bigs who cant defend are always overated to some degree because they post pretty numbers(high scoring and rebounding with some assits because of usage).

Kevin Love, Demarcus Cousins, Derrick Coleman,Eddy Curry, etc etc

They actual impact on winning basketball games is often average or even negative.

[boomershadow]

As has been said, his defensive liabilities put a ceiling on his game. Still, he would be an even better offensive player than he already is if fouls were called fairly for wings vs. centers.

[Dan Z]

I'm not saying he's great, but he did help take a bad Orlando team to the playoffs.

[ayyayyron]

It'd be pure slander to say he isn't a good player, but personally, I'm not a fan of centers who aren't good defenders. He's not a liability, but he's not good enough on D for me to think he can ever be a 2nd option on a team that'll win a playoff series (unless the first option is LeBron James).

I wouldn't be too sure about that.

He's a bad defender, but not like Trae Young or D'Angelo Russell. When I use the word "liability" in this context, I mean like bottom 10-15 starters in the league, which defensively, Vuc is not.

[JShuttlesworth]

I've never really liked Vuc as a player, but I know a lot of posters feel otherwise.

[Chanel Bomber]

Vucevic is good if your goal in life is to win 40 games in the Eastern Conference.

He's a bench player on a serious contender.