Man in the middle
Magic center Nikola Vucevic has plenty to celebrate this season, both on and off the court.
Magic center Nikola Vucevic has had plenty to celebrate recently.
Orlando’s leading scorer and rebounder talked about the highlights on his 28th birthday Wednesday, including his excitement about expecting a baby boy in December.
His wife, Nikoleta Pavlovic, started the day by giving him a simple yet special gift.
“She surprised me this morning with some stuff this morning and I’m sure there will be some more when I get home,” Vucevic said. “The one she got me this morning was pretty great. It was this Star Wars T-shirt with Vader on it that says, ‘Daddy.’ And there was like a little T-shirt for a baby that says ‘Daddy’s Jedi,’ so that was cool since we’re expecting a baby boy soon ... pretty great.”
Nik and Nikoleta Vucevic found out just after last season ended that they were expecting their first child.
“We found out in May that she was pregnant. It was the summer and all of that, so we kept it to ourselves for a long time,”
Magic center Nikola Vucevic shoots during a game last week against the Heat. STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL
Vucevic said. “We found out it was a boy, I think, 12 weeks into the pregnancy, so yeah, we’re really excited. She’s due in December, so we’re getting ready right now.
“Making sure I get a lot of sleep. That’s what everybody says. We’re very excited and happy to start our own family.”
Asked how much of a hands-on father he would be when it comes to things like diaper changing and the works, Vooch said, “I’ll do it all. When I have games and stuff, we’ll probably have some kind of workaround it, but days when I don’t, I’ll definitely try to be as involved as much as I can. ... Full-time dad, for sure.”
His Magic teammates sang happy birthday to the 7-foot veteran after practice Wednesday, but he was worthy of a serenade for more reasons than just his birthday.
Vucevic has been a force in his eighth NBA season. During the first four games, during which the rebuilding Magic have gone 2-2, Vucevic is averaging a team-high 18.8 points per game and is tied with Aaron Gordon with 10.3 rebounds a game. He also is right behind point guard D.J. Augustin (5.8) in assists at 5.3 per game.
But it’s not just Vucevic’s offensive game that draws praise. Magic coach Steve Clifford can’t heap enough gratitude on the big Montenegrin thanks, in part, to his defensive effort.
“Oh man, terrific. … His pick-and-roll defense has been very good. … Both [against] Philadelphia and Boston, he had some really good individual defensive possessions,” Clifford said. “He’s been very good.”
Augustin and the rest of the Magic players are also always quick to praise Vucevic.
“I’ve said it from Day 1, since I came here and played with Vooch: He’s one of the best big men in the league because he can do it all,” Augustin said. “He’s one of the best passers, especially out of the post. He finds me on cuts all the time, he’s such a great shooter, he’s very skilled.”
The Magic will be back on the floor Thursday night at Amway Center as the Portland Trail Blazers roll into town. Portland is off to a decent start at 2-1, with the Blazers’ only loss coming at Washington 125-124 in overtime Monday night.
Point guard Damian Lillard leads the Blazers and is scoring almost 30 points per game. When he’s not scoring, he’s dishing — averaging seven assists. So the Magic will have a challenging task out front trying to stop Lillard’s scoring and penetration.
Augustin, however, says that’s nothing unusual in the NBA.
“It’s tough. It’s tough every night because some of the best players in the league are at the guard position,” Augustin said. “So it just comes down to us helping each other as a group and that’s what we’ve been doing over the last few games and we gotta continue to do it over the season.”