ORLANDO — Nikola Vucevic heads into his second stint with the Orlando Magic armed with a shooting profile that barely existed during the early years of his first nine-season run with the franchise, positioning himself as a floor-spacing complement to stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner for the 2026-27 season.
Vucevic, who was traded to the Chicago Bulls in March 2021, has converted 35 percent of his career three-pointers and 36 percent of his threes off kickout passes. Since the start of the 2016-17 season, he ranks second among centers in threes attempted directly off kickout passes, trailing only Brook Lopez. In 2020-21, the year he split between Orlando and Chicago, Vucevic made 45.3 percent of his threes off kickouts — 11th best among the 75 players who took at least 100 that season and No. 1 among centers.
The transformation from his early career is stark. Vucevic took just 18 threes combined in his first four seasons with the Magic, then 75 in his fifth year, before launching a combined 1,012 in his final three and a half seasons before the trade. Now paired with Banchero and Wagner — two jumbo-sized playmakers who excel at penetrating and finding open shooters — Vucevic’s spacing ability figures to be his most critical asset.
Vucevic’s playmaking from the post adds another dimension. Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, only Karl-Anthony Towns dished out more passes from the post off double-teams. His teammates in those three seasons made 48.8 percent of their three-pointers off Vucevic’s post passes when he drew a double.
His finishing efficiency has also sharpened. Vucevic made 66.3 percent of his shots off cuts in 2023-24 and 68.5 percent in 2024-25 — two of his three best marks in that category across 15 NBA seasons. His floater has followed a similar arc, climbing from 44.7 percent in 2015-16 to over 60 percent in three of his last four seasons on increased volume.
Vucevic has averaged double-digit rebounds in 11 of his 15 NBA seasons, a skill set that aligns with a league-wide emphasis on second-chance scoring. The New York Knicks won the title last season ranking No. 1 in second-chance scoring opportunities during the playoffs.
The Magic open the 2026-27 regular season in October with Vucevic expected to fill an ancillary role behind Banchero and Wagner in Orlando’s offensive hierarchy.