NBA’s All-Windex Team
By Mason McFee
Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
It may seem odd to start off with a player that’s currently on a team with a record of 27-51, good for yet another trip to the lottery. But after further examination of his numbers, I think the NBA community continues to ignore Vooch because “he’s on the Magic” and they’re just “empty stats.” Well I’m here to say stop that.
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Look, the Magic are bad. Like, really bad. They haven’t been relevant since Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard were being led by SVG. It’s a shame considering they were so dominant back in the day, but they have really taken a nosedive down the Eastern Conference standings with no bright future in sight. (Although, Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton have been playing out of their minds lately). While there might not be much hope for the future, there is for the present – and his name is Nikola Vucevic.
So why is Vooch getting any love?
Well, according to basketballreference.com, Vucevic is currently ranked 17th in offensive rebounds (169), and 11th in defensive rebounds (557); good for 11th in total rebounds (726).
While those numbers may not scream “glass-cleaner,” maybe his 30.9 defensive rebounding percentage will, which is good for 5th in league; ahead off guys like Rudy Gobert, DeMarcus Cousins, and Anthony Davis.
Taking into account that the Magic often look lost on offense, which translates to Vucevic probably missing out on even more rebound opportunities; and the fact he’s only started in 50 games (played in 70 total), his numbers become that much more impressive.